What a ratio!

Geometry Level 5

Let A , B , C , D A, B, C, D be four points in the plane, with C C and D D on the same side of the line A B AB , such that A C × B D = A D × B C AC \times BD = AD \times BC and A D B = 9 0 + A C B \angle ADB = 90^{\circ} + \angle ACB .

Find the ratio A B × C D A C × B D \dfrac{AB \times CD}{ AC \times BD} .

If this ratio is of the form a b \dfrac{\sqrt a}{b} , where a a and b b are positive integers with a a square-free, submit a + b a+b as your answer.


The answer is 3.

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2 solutions

Marta Reece
May 14, 2017

This solution calculates the ratio for only one possible configuration of points A , B , C , A, B, C, and D D . In this configuration, shown on the left, A C B = 3 0 \angle ACB=30^\circ making A D B = 12 0 \angle ADB=120^\circ . Triangles A C B ACB and A D B ADB are chosen to be isosceles with A C = A B AC=AB and A D = D B AD=DB , so that A C × B D = A D × B C AC\times BD=AD\times BC automatically. The distance E B EB is set to be 1 1 .

The fraction to be calculated is A B × C D A C × B D \dfrac{AB \times CD}{ AC \times BD}

A B = 2 AB=2

C D = C E D E = 1 tan 1 5 tan 3 0 = 3 + 2 1 3 = 2 ( 3 + 1 ) 3 CD=CE-DE=\frac{1}{\tan15^\circ}-\tan30^\circ=\sqrt{3}+2-\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}=\frac{2(\sqrt{3}+1)}{\sqrt{3}}

A C = B C = 1 sin 1 5 = ( 3 + 1 ) 2 AC=BC=\frac{1}{\sin15^\circ}=(\sqrt{3}+1)\sqrt2

B D = 1 cos 3 0 = 2 3 BD=\frac{1}{\cos30^\circ}=\frac{2}{\sqrt{3}}

So the ratio

A B × C D A C × B D = 2 ( 3 + 1 ) ( 3 + 1 ) 2 = 2 \frac{AB\times CD}{AC\times BD}=\frac{2(\sqrt{3}+1)}{(\sqrt{3}+1)\sqrt{2}}=\sqrt{2}

Yes! but that's good for guessing, what if it were asked in a contest?

Construct a line B D \perp BD at D . D.
Introduce a point E E on the line B D \perp BD such that B D = B E . BD = BE.

Now, A C × B D = A D × B C = > A C B C = A D B D = A D B E AC \times BD = AD \times BC => \dfrac{AC}{BC} = \dfrac{AD}{BD} =\dfrac{AD}{BE} .

Also, C A D + C B D = C B D + C B E = 9 0 = > C A D = C B E \angle CAD + \angle CBD = \angle CBD + \angle CBE = 90^{\circ} => \angle CAD = \angle CBE

= > Δ A D C Δ B E C = > A C D = B C E = > A C B = D C E ; A C B C = D C E C => \Delta ADC \sim \Delta BEC => \angle ACD = \angle BCE => \angle ACB = \angle DCE ; \dfrac{AC}{BC} = \dfrac{DC}{EC}

= > Δ C A B Δ C D E = > A B × C D = A C × D E ( I ) => \Delta CAB\sim \Delta CDE => AB \times CD = AC \times DE --(I)

But, the construction of E E gives a right isosceles Δ D B E = > D E = 2 × B D . \Delta DBE => DE = \sqrt2 \times BD.

Substituting D E = 2 × B D . DE = \sqrt2 \times BD. in [ I ] [I] we get: A B × C D = A C × 2 × B D = > A B × C D A C × B D = 2 AB \times CD = AC \times \sqrt2 \times BD => \dfrac{AB\times CD}{AC\times BD}= \sqrt2

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