Octarelate

Geometry Level 4

The figure shows a right triangle A B C ABC with the right angle at B B .

M M and N N are 2 points on A C AC such that ( A M ) 2 + ( C N ) 2 = ( M N ) 2 (AM)^2 + (CN)^2 = (MN)^2 .

Find the measure of the angle M B N \angle MBN in degrees.

60 45 30 40

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2 solutions

Marta Reece
May 10, 2017

Triangle A B C ABC and three others identical to it are pictured in red are organized to form a square as shown.

The original image made the triangle appear to be isosceles, but the problem did not state that it was and it does not need to be. So I make it a general right triangle.

The condition that A M 2 + N C 2 = M N 2 AM^2+NC^2=MN^2 translates, thanks to the Pythagorean theorem, into M N = N M MN=NM’ where M M' is a point equivalent to M M in the next triangle.

This means that the black octagon has sides of equal lengths.

It is inscribed into a square, so it could be tempting to assume that it is a regular octagon and that the angle

M O N = 36 0 8 = 4 5 \angle MON=\frac{360^\circ}{8}=45^\circ

...

However, the octagon need not be regular, as shown in the lower image.

The triangles O N M ONM and O N M ONM’ are no longer isosceles, but they are still congruent.

All of their sides are the same size, since the side O N ON is shared, M N = N M MN=NM’ and O M = O M OM=OM’ .

Therefore the angles M O N \angle MON and N O M \angle NOM’ are equal to each other.

They are also equal to the remaining 6 such angles.

So we can conclude that even in the general case

M O N = 36 0 8 = 4 5 \angle MON=\frac{360^\circ}{8}=\boxed{45^\circ}

Denton Young
Nov 14, 2019

It doesn't specify where M and N are located. So let M be located at A. Then N bisects AC and BN bisects angle ABC. When you bisect a right angle, each of the two angles has a measurement of 90/2 = 45 degrees.

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