Find the length!

Geometry Level 4

A B C \triangle ABC is an acute angled triangle with A = 3 0 \angle A = 30^{\circ} and B C = 5 BC = 5 cm. H H is the orthocentre, and M M is the midpoint of B C BC . T T is a point on the line H M HM such that H M = M T HM = MT . Find the length of A T AT in centimetres.


The answer is 10.

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3 solutions

Sagnik Saha
Jan 28, 2014

We join B , T B,T and T , C T,C . Thus in quadrilateral T B H C TBHC we have the diagonals bisecting each other whcih implies T A H C TAHC is a parallelogram. Thus, A H = T C AH=TC and T C A C TC \parallel AC which means T C A = 9 0 \angle TCA = 90^{\circ} . Now, let O O be the circumcentre of A B C \triangle ABC and as A B C \triangle ABC is acute, O O lies inside the triangle. WE drop O X A C OX \perp AC .

Now, O X = 1 2 × A H = 1 2 × T C OX = \frac{1}{2} \times AH = \frac{1}{2} \times TC . And along with that T C O X TC \parallel OX and X X is the midpoint of A C AC . This implies O O is the midpoint of A T AT and thus A T AT is the diameter of the circumcircle of A B C \triangle ABC . Finally we use the extended Law of Sines in A B C \triangle ABC which yields

B C sin A = 2 R \dfrac{BC}{\sin \angle A} = 2R , where R R is the circumradius of A B C \triangle ABC

\implies 5 sin 3 0 = A T \dfrac{5}{\sin 30^{\circ}} = AT

\implies A T = 10 AT = \boxed{10}

Care to correct your typo? You asked for AC \text{AC} instead of AT \text{AT} . -_-

Sreejato Bhattacharya - 7 years, 4 months ago

What type of quadrilateral is T A H C TAHC ?The order in which you name the vertices makes it look more like a triangle with a stick protruding from it.

Rahul Saha - 7 years, 4 months ago

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Is there anything wrong with the diagram,or am I reading things the wrong way?

Rahul Saha - 7 years, 4 months ago

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lol no. Its a 2-d figure! :P

Sagnik Saha - 7 years, 4 months ago

Really very sorry. In the first line, we join T , B T,B instead of T , A T,A and T B H C TBHC , not T A H C TAHC

Sagnik Saha - 7 years, 4 months ago

U should have waited.... i was then locked inside a little room answering to natures call! -_-

Sagnik Saha - 7 years, 4 months ago
Maria Kozlowska
Jul 28, 2015

This question uses a fact that orthocentre reflected about a midpoint always lies on a circumcircle, on a diameter of circumcircle with opposite vertex as the other end of the diameter.

Let R R denote radius of circumcircle, O O its circumcentre. In this case it means that A T = 2 R AT=2R . By inscribed angle theorem B O C = 2 × B A C = 60 B O C \angle BOC = 2 \times \angle BAC = 60 \Rightarrow \triangle BOC is equilateral R = B C = 5 A T = 10 \Rightarrow R=BC=5 \Rightarrow AT=\boxed{10} .

Kushal Patankar
Jan 16, 2015

triangle triangle

it's not a proof, you solved only this case and fortunatly you get the correct result.

Andrea Virgillito - 4 years, 6 months ago

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