[Math] IMO 2011 problem 6 Geometry

contest-mathgeometry

The is year's IMO problem 6 was a geometry problem that only 6 participants managed to solve completely. The problem is formulated like this:

Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle with circumcircle $\Gamma$. Let $\ell$ be a tangent line to $\Gamma$, and let $\ell_a$, $\ell_b$ and $\ell_c$ be the lines obtained by reflecting $\ell$ in the lines $BC$, $CA$ and $AB$, respectively

Show that the circumcircle of the triangle determined by the lines $\ell_a$, $\ell_b$ and $\ell_c$ is tangent to the circle $\Gamma$.

A few solutions were found to this problem: using inversions, complex numbers, angle chasing, etc. My question is if we can reduce the problem to a simpler one in the following way:

Can we construct a triangle $\Delta$ for which $\Gamma$ is the incircle and $\Gamma_1$ is the 9 point circle? Of course, the answer should be yes if the circles are tangent and the radius of $\Gamma_1$ is greater than the radius of $\Gamma$. In this way we just apply a well known theorem of Feuerbach which says that the incircle and 9 point circle are tangent. How could we construct the triangle $\Delta$, starting from $ABC$?

This was my first idea when I saw the problem but didn't manage to finalize it.

Best Answer

This link may be useful.There are quite a few solutions there.

http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=2365045&sid=0cdd97cc9547c2079a4ba23c56ba8f74#p2365045

In fact,this was the toughest problem at the IMO 2011.It was G8 on the Shortlist,meaning a hard problem. The IMO committee actually ended up misjudging the difficulty of the problems,as evident from the way they were numbered on the Shortlist.