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k a My Retirement & New Leadership at AoPS
rrusczyk   1571
N Mar 26, 2025 by SmartGroot
I write today to announce my retirement as CEO from Art of Problem Solving. When I founded AoPS 22 years ago, I never imagined that we would reach so many students and families, or that we would find so many channels through which we discover, inspire, and train the great problem solvers of the next generation. I am very proud of all we have accomplished and I’m thankful for the many supporters who provided inspiration and encouragement along the way. I'm particularly grateful to all of the wonderful members of the AoPS Community!

I’m delighted to introduce our new leaders - Ben Kornell and Andrew Sutherland. Ben has extensive experience in education and edtech prior to joining AoPS as my successor as CEO, including starting like I did as a classroom teacher. He has a deep understanding of the value of our work because he’s an AoPS parent! Meanwhile, Andrew and I have common roots as founders of education companies; he launched Quizlet at age 15! His journey from founder to MIT to technology and product leader as our Chief Product Officer traces a pathway many of our students will follow in the years to come.

Thank you again for your support for Art of Problem Solving and we look forward to working with millions more wonderful problem solvers in the years to come.

And special thanks to all of the amazing AoPS team members who have helped build AoPS. We’ve come a long way from here:IMAGE
1571 replies
rrusczyk
Mar 24, 2025
SmartGroot
Mar 26, 2025
k a March Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
Mar 2, 2025
March is the month for State MATHCOUNTS competitions! Kudos to everyone who participated in their local chapter competitions and best of luck to all going to State! Join us on March 11th for a Math Jam devoted to our favorite Chapter competition problems! Are you interested in training for MATHCOUNTS? Be sure to check out our AMC 8/MATHCOUNTS Basics and Advanced courses.

Are you ready to level up with Olympiad training? Registration is open with early bird pricing available for our WOOT programs: MathWOOT (Levels 1 and 2), CodeWOOT, PhysicsWOOT, and ChemWOOT. What is WOOT? WOOT stands for Worldwide Online Olympiad Training and is a 7-month high school math Olympiad preparation and testing program that brings together many of the best students from around the world to learn Olympiad problem solving skills. Classes begin in September!

Do you have plans this summer? There are so many options to fit your schedule and goals whether attending a summer camp or taking online classes, it can be a great break from the routine of the school year. Check out our summer courses at AoPS Online, or if you want a math or language arts class that doesn’t have homework, but is an enriching summer experience, our AoPS Virtual Campus summer camps may be just the ticket! We are expanding our locations for our AoPS Academies across the country with 15 locations so far and new campuses opening in Saratoga CA, Johns Creek GA, and the Upper West Side NY. Check out this page for summer camp information.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the following events:
[list][*]March 5th (Wednesday), 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, HCSSiM Math Jam 2025. Amber Verser, Assistant Director of the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, will host an information session about HCSSiM, a summer program for high school students.
[*]March 6th (Thursday), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Free Webinar on Math Competitions from elementary through high school. Join us for an enlightening session that demystifies the world of math competitions and helps you make informed decisions about your contest journey.
[*]March 11th (Tuesday), 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, 2025 MATHCOUNTS Chapter Discussion MATH JAM. AoPS instructors will discuss some of their favorite problems from the MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competition. All are welcome!
[*]March 13th (Thursday), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Free Webinar about Summer Camps at the Virtual Campus. Transform your summer into an unforgettable learning adventure! From elementary through high school, we offer dynamic summer camps featuring topics in mathematics, language arts, and competition preparation - all designed to fit your schedule and ignite your passion for learning.[/list]
Our full course list for upcoming classes is below:
All classes run 7:30pm-8:45pm ET/4:30pm - 5:45pm PT unless otherwise noted.

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0 replies
jlacosta
Mar 2, 2025
0 replies
k i A Letter to MSM
Arr0w   23
N Sep 19, 2022 by scannose
Greetings.

I have seen many posts talking about commonly asked questions, such as finding the value of $0^0$, $\frac{1}{0}$,$\frac{0}{0}$, $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$, why $0.999...=1$ or even expressions of those terms combined as if that would make them defined. I have made this post to answer these questions once and for all, and I politely ask everyone to link this post to threads that are talking about this issue.
[list]
[*]Firstly, the case of $0^0$. It is usually regarded that $0^0=1$, not because this works numerically but because it is convenient to define it this way. You will see the convenience of defining other undefined things later on in this post.

[*]What about $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$? The issue here is that $\infty$ isn't even rigorously defined in this expression. What exactly do we mean by $\infty$? Unless the example in question is put in context in a formal manner, then we say that $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$ is meaningless.

[*]What about $\frac{1}{0}$? Suppose that $x=\frac{1}{0}$. Then we would have $x\cdot 0=0=1$, absurd. A more rigorous treatment of the idea is that $\lim_{x\to0}\frac{1}{x}$ does not exist in the first place, although you will see why in a calculus course. So the point is that $\frac{1}{0}$ is undefined.

[*]What about if $0.99999...=1$? An article from brilliant has a good explanation. Alternatively, you can just use a geometric series. Notice that
\begin{align*}
\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{9}{10^n}&=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{10^n}=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\biggr(\frac{1}{10}\biggr)^n=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{1-\frac{1}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{\frac{9}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{1}{9}\biggr)=\boxed{1}
\end{align*}
[*]What about $\frac{0}{0}$? Usually this is considered to be an indeterminate form, but I would also wager that this is also undefined.
[/list]
Hopefully all of these issues and their corollaries are finally put to rest. Cheers.

2nd EDIT (6/14/22): Since I originally posted this, it has since blown up so I will try to add additional information per the request of users in the thread below.

INDETERMINATE VS UNDEFINED

What makes something indeterminate? As you can see above, there are many things that are indeterminate. While definitions might vary slightly, it is the consensus that the following definition holds: A mathematical expression is be said to be indeterminate if it is not definitively or precisely determined. So how does this make, say, something like $0/0$ indeterminate? In analysis (the theory behind calculus and beyond), limits involving an algebraic combination of functions in an independent variable may often be evaluated by replacing these functions by their limits. However, if the expression obtained after this substitution does not provide sufficient information to determine the original limit, then the expression is called an indeterminate form. For example, we could say that $0/0$ is an indeterminate form.

But we need to more specific, this is still ambiguous. An indeterminate form is a mathematical expression involving at most two of $0$, $1$ or $\infty$, obtained by applying the algebraic limit theorem (a theorem in analysis, look this up for details) in the process of attempting to determine a limit, which fails to restrict that limit to one specific value or infinity, and thus does not determine the limit being calculated. This is why it is called indeterminate. Some examples of indeterminate forms are
\[0/0, \infty/\infty, \infty-\infty, \infty \times 0\]etc etc. So what makes something undefined? In the broader scope, something being undefined refers to an expression which is not assigned an interpretation or a value. A function is said to be undefined for points outside its domain. For example, the function $f:\mathbb{R}^{+}\cup\{0\}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ given by the mapping $x\mapsto \sqrt{x}$ is undefined for $x<0$. On the other hand, $1/0$ is undefined because dividing by $0$ is not defined in arithmetic by definition. In other words, something is undefined when it is not defined in some mathematical context.

WHEN THE WATERS GET MUDDIED

So with this notion of indeterminate and undefined, things get convoluted. First of all, just because something is indeterminate does not mean it is not undefined. For example $0/0$ is considered both indeterminate and undefined (but in the context of a limit then it is considered in indeterminate form). Additionally, this notion of something being undefined also means that we can define it in some way. To rephrase, this means that technically, we can make something that is undefined to something that is defined as long as we define it. I'll show you what I mean.

One example of making something undefined into something defined is the extended real number line, which we define as
\[\overline{\mathbb{R}}=\mathbb{R}\cup \{-\infty,+\infty\}.\]So instead of treating infinity as an idea, we define infinity (positively and negatively, mind you) as actual numbers in the reals. The advantage of doing this is for two reasons. The first is because we can turn this thing into a totally ordered set. Specifically, we can let $-\infty\le a\le \infty$ for each $a\in\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ which means that via this order topology each subset has an infimum and supremum and $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ is therefore compact. While this is nice from an analytic standpoint, extending the reals in this way can allow for interesting arithmetic! In $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ it is perfectly OK to say that,
\begin{align*}
a + \infty = \infty + a & = \infty, & a & \neq -\infty \\
a - \infty = -\infty + a & = -\infty, & a & \neq \infty \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty] \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \mp\infty, & a & \in [-\infty, 0) \\
\frac{a}{\pm\infty} & = 0, & a & \in \mathbb{R} \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty) \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \mp\infty, & a & \in (-\infty, 0).
\end{align*}So addition, multiplication, and division are all defined nicely. However, notice that we have some indeterminate forms here which are also undefined,
\[\infty-\infty,\frac{\pm\infty}{\pm\infty},\frac{\pm\infty}{0},0\cdot \pm\infty.\]So while we define certain things, we also left others undefined/indeterminate in the process! However, in the context of measure theory it is common to define $\infty \times 0=0$ as greenturtle3141 noted below. I encourage to reread what he wrote, it's great stuff! As you may notice, though, dividing by $0$ is undefined still! Is there a place where it isn't? Kind of. To do this, we can extend the complex numbers! More formally, we can define this extension as
\[\mathbb{C}^*=\mathbb{C}\cup\{\tilde{\infty}\}\]which we call the Riemann Sphere (it actually forms a sphere, pretty cool right?). As a note, $\tilde{\infty}$ means complex infinity, since we are in the complex plane now. Here's the catch: division by $0$ is allowed here! In fact, we have
\[\frac{z}{0}=\tilde{\infty},\frac{z}{\tilde{\infty}}=0.\]where $\tilde{\infty}/\tilde{\infty}$ and $0/0$ are left undefined. We also have
\begin{align*}
z+\tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne -\infty\\
z\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne 0
\end{align*}Furthermore, we actually have some nice properties with multiplication that we didn't have before. In $\mathbb{C}^*$ it holds that
\[\tilde{\infty}\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}\]but $\tilde{\infty}-\tilde{\infty}$ and $0\times \tilde{\infty}$ are left as undefined (unless there is an explicit need to change that somehow). One could define the projectively extended reals as we did with $\mathbb{C}^*$, by defining them as
\[{\widehat {\mathbb {R} }}=\mathbb {R} \cup \{\infty \}.\]They behave in a similar way to the Riemann Sphere, with division by $0$ also being allowed with the same indeterminate forms (in addition to some other ones).
23 replies
Arr0w
Feb 11, 2022
scannose
Sep 19, 2022
k i Marathon Threads
LauraZed   0
Jul 2, 2019
Due to excessive spam and inappropriate posts, we have locked the Prealgebra and Beginning Algebra threads.

We will either unlock these threads once we've cleaned them up or start new ones, but for now, do not start new marathon threads for these subjects. Any new marathon threads started while this announcement is up will be immediately deleted.
0 replies
LauraZed
Jul 2, 2019
0 replies
k i Basic Forum Rules and Info (Read before posting)
jellymoop   368
N May 16, 2018 by harry1234
f (Reminder: Do not post Alcumus or class homework questions on this forum. Instructions below.) f
Welcome to the Middle School Math Forum! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the rules.

Overview:
[list]
[*] When you're posting a new topic with a math problem, give the topic a detailed title that includes the subject of the problem (not just "easy problem" or "nice problem")
[*] Stay on topic and be courteous.
[*] Hide solutions!
[*] If you see an inappropriate post in this forum, simply report the post and a moderator will deal with it. Don't make your own post telling people they're not following the rules - that usually just makes the issue worse.
[*] When you post a question that you need help solving, post what you've attempted so far and not just the question. We are here to learn from each other, not to do your homework. :P
[*] Avoid making posts just to thank someone - you can use the upvote function instead
[*] Don't make a new reply just to repeat yourself or comment on the quality of others' posts; instead, post when you have a new insight or question. You can also edit your post if it's the most recent and you want to add more information.
[*] Avoid bumping old posts.
[*] Use GameBot to post alcumus questions.
[*] If you need general MATHCOUNTS/math competition advice, check out the threads below.
[*] Don't post other users' real names.
[*] Advertisements are not allowed. You can advertise your forum on your profile with a link, on your blog, and on user-created forums that permit forum advertisements.
[/list]

Here are links to more detailed versions of the rules. These are from the older forums, so you can overlook "Classroom math/Competition math only" instructions.
Posting Guidelines
Update on Basic Forum Rules
What belongs on this forum?
How do I write a thorough solution?
How do I get a problem on the contest page?
How do I study for mathcounts?
Mathcounts FAQ and resources
Mathcounts and how to learn

As always, if you have any questions, you can PM me or any of the other Middle School Moderators. Once again, if you see spam, it would help a lot if you filed a report instead of responding :)

Marathons!
Relays might be a better way to describe it, but these threads definitely go the distance! One person starts off by posting a problem, and the next person comes up with a solution and a new problem for another user to solve. Here's some of the frequently active marathons running in this forum:
[list][*]Algebra
[*]Prealgebra
[*]Proofs
[*]Factoring
[*]Geometry
[*]Counting & Probability
[*]Number Theory[/list]
Some of these haven't received attention in a while, but these are the main ones for their respective subjects. Rather than starting a new marathon, please give the existing ones a shot first.

You can also view marathons via the Marathon tag.

Think this list is incomplete or needs changes? Let the mods know and we'll take a look.
368 replies
jellymoop
May 8, 2015
harry1234
May 16, 2018
Heavy config geo involving mixtilinear
Assassino9931   2
N 5 minutes ago by Assassino9931
Source: Bulgaria Spring Mathematical Competition 2025 12.4
Let $ABC$ be an acute-angled triangle \( ABC \) with \( AC > BC \) and incenter \( I \). Let \( \omega \) be the mixtilinear circle at vertex \( C \), i.e. the circle internally tangent to the circumcircle of \( \triangle ABC \) and also tangent to lines \( AC \) and \( BC \). A circle \( \Gamma \) passes through points \( A \) and \( B \) and is tangent to \( \omega \) at point \( T \), with \( C \notin \Gamma \) and \( I \) being inside \( \triangle ATB \). Prove that:
$$\angle CTB + \angle ATI = 180^\circ + \angle BAI - \angle ABI.$$
2 replies
Assassino9931
5 hours ago
Assassino9931
5 minutes ago
Guess the leader's binary string!
cjquines0   78
N 27 minutes ago by de-Kirschbaum
Source: 2016 IMO Shortlist C1
The leader of an IMO team chooses positive integers $n$ and $k$ with $n > k$, and announces them to the deputy leader and a contestant. The leader then secretly tells the deputy leader an $n$-digit binary string, and the deputy leader writes down all $n$-digit binary strings which differ from the leader’s in exactly $k$ positions. (For example, if $n = 3$ and $k = 1$, and if the leader chooses $101$, the deputy leader would write down $001, 111$ and $100$.) The contestant is allowed to look at the strings written by the deputy leader and guess the leader’s string. What is the minimum number of guesses (in terms of $n$ and $k$) needed to guarantee the correct answer?
78 replies
1 viewing
cjquines0
Jul 19, 2017
de-Kirschbaum
27 minutes ago
Monkeys have bananas
nAalniaOMliO   5
N 29 minutes ago by jkim0656
Source: Belarusian National Olympiad 2025
Ten monkeys have 60 bananas. Each monkey has at least one banana and any two monkeys have different amounts of bananas.
Prove that any six monkeys can distribute their bananas between others such that all 4 remaining monkeys have the same amount of bananas.
5 replies
nAalniaOMliO
Friday at 8:20 PM
jkim0656
29 minutes ago
Fixed point config on external similar isosceles triangles
Assassino9931   1
N 30 minutes ago by E50
Source: Bulgaria Spring Mathematical Competition 2025 10.2
Let $AB$ be an acute scalene triangle. A point \( D \) varies on its side \( BC \). The points \( P \) and \( Q \) are the midpoints of the arcs \( \widehat{AB} \) and \( \widehat{AC} \) (not containing \( D \)) of the circumcircles of triangles \( ABD \) and \( ACD \), respectively. Prove that the circumcircle of triangle \( PQD \) passes through a fixed point, independent of the choice of \( D \) on \( BC \).
1 reply
Assassino9931
5 hours ago
E50
30 minutes ago
aops ids
Bummer12345   51
N 38 minutes ago by ethan2011
Make your argument here on why your AoPS user ID is the coolest!!!!! :pilot: :pilot: :pilot: :pilot: :pilot:

For instance, my ID, $573803$, can be written as $547 \cdot 1049$, both which are prime.

$547$ is a cuban prime, prime index prime

$1049$ is a Sophie Germain prime

I think my ID is pretty cool, but theres probably better IDs out there.

stuff
51 replies
Bummer12345
Mar 28, 2025
ethan2011
38 minutes ago
Math Competitions
anishka14   5
N Today at 4:33 AM by iwillregretthisnamelater
Hi everyone!

So I am currently in grade 6, and if anyone could give any tips for getting high scores in math competition, that would be great!

I haven't been doing so well in AMC 8, and other competitions like Math Kangaroo, etc....

I feel like i'm stuck, so if anyone could give any resources that helped you learn and score better, could you share that with me?

Thank you so much!

( also how much time should i spend on math every day? )
5 replies
anishka14
Yesterday at 7:55 PM
iwillregretthisnamelater
Today at 4:33 AM
Something Horrible-a Challenge
Xueshuxue   19
N Today at 3:09 AM by pieMax2713
Hello, I was wondering if it's possible to make 8 with the numbers 5, 3, 5, and 7 under the following rules:
-You can only use 5 twice, 3 once, and 7 once.
-You must use all the numbers.
You can stack numbers to form larger numbers (example: I could take 3 and 5 and turn it into 35 or 53, or use 7, 3, and 5 to make 375.)
-You are allowed to use parentheses.
(Also, I already found out that no 3 digital numbers will work for the solution.)
19 replies
Xueshuxue
Friday at 7:09 PM
pieMax2713
Today at 3:09 AM
The daily problem!
Leeoz   48
N Today at 3:04 AM by pieMax2713
Every day, I will try to post a new problem for you all to solve! If you want to post a daily problem, you can! :)

Please hide solutions and answers, hints are fine though! :)

The first problem is:
[quote=March 21st Problem]Alice flips a fair coin until she gets 2 heads in a row, or a tail and then a head. What is the probability that she stopped after 2 heads in a row? Express your answer as a common fraction.[/quote]

Past Problems!
48 replies
Leeoz
Mar 21, 2025
pieMax2713
Today at 3:04 AM
I cannot into nationals, what should I do?
AMathCountsguy10   101
N Today at 2:41 AM by hashbrown2009
I am an eighth grader in North Carolina and I am sort of pressured to make nats this year, I only got 26 on last year's state test (orz to @mathprodigy2011) and I have mocked 39, 40, and 37 on the 2014, 2015, and 2022 tests respectively. I am aiming for a 40 this year because that seems to be the cutoff. How should I sufficiently improve? My test is on March 14th, 2025.

To be more clear, last year I got 16/10 and on the tests I have mocked, I got 27/12, 26/14, and 25/12.
101 replies
AMathCountsguy10
Feb 21, 2025
hashbrown2009
Today at 2:41 AM
How to pronounce Rusczyk
Dream9   2
N Today at 2:13 AM by KF329
I've always said like ruzz icks. I don't know why I say it as plural but does anyone know how to say the sigma's last name?
2 replies
Dream9
Yesterday at 11:48 PM
KF329
Today at 2:13 AM
How much does math help?
Dream9   5
N Today at 1:21 AM by yaxuan
Does the math many people on AOPS work for really make a large impact? I get that this is a place for math but I think I'm losing touch with my prior math skill. AMC and AIME are solving problems that have answers and just take practice but math as a job or just like an accountant doesn't need/needs a lot more than this type of math. I might switch to another stem category for college apps pathway. Also, many people who are already very good at competition math don't get good offers because there's people who are even better(note: i get the point of math isn't only college). I think if I work *hard* I'll be AIME qual but I think many people would have higher achievements with the same amount of work in another category. I think competition math really just trains for problem solving, unique thinking, and pattern recognition(aka IQ pts).
5 replies
Dream9
Today at 12:49 AM
yaxuan
Today at 1:21 AM
problemo
hashbrown2009   1
N Today at 1:03 AM by Dream9
if x/(3^3+4^3) + y/(3^3+6^3) =1

and

x/(5^3+4^3) + y/(5^3+6^3) =1

find the 2 values of x and y.
1 reply
hashbrown2009
Today at 12:49 AM
Dream9
Today at 1:03 AM
Mathcounts State Sprint Scores
kp34912   31
N Today at 12:42 AM by hashbrown2009
I am practicing previous years' MathCount papers, but they seem to get progressively harder each year.

So, for those of you who scored well in Mathcounts, how many sprint questions are/were you able to do in State/Nationals?

I want to get a sense of where I stand.

Thanks in advance!
31 replies
kp34912
Mar 27, 2025
hashbrown2009
Today at 12:42 AM
Bogus Proof Marathon
pifinity   7533
N Today at 12:30 AM by Inaaya
Hi!
I'd like to introduce the Bogus Proof Marathon.

In this marathon, simply post a bogus proof that is middle-school level and the next person will find the error. You don't have to post the real solution :P

Use classic Marathon format:
[hide=P#]a1b2c3[/hide]
[hide=S#]a1b2c3[/hide]


Example posts:

P(x)
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S(x)
P(x+1)
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Let's go!! Just don't make it too hard!
7533 replies
pifinity
Mar 12, 2018
Inaaya
Today at 12:30 AM
Collinearity with orthocenter
liberator   179
N Mar 27, 2025 by bjump
Source: IMO 2013 Problem 4
Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle with orthocenter $H$, and let $W$ be a point on the side $BC$, lying strictly between $B$ and $C$. The points $M$ and $N$ are the feet of the altitudes from $B$ and $C$, respectively. Denote by $\omega_1$ is the circumcircle of $BWN$, and let $X$ be the point on $\omega_1$ such that $WX$ is a diameter of $\omega_1$. Analogously, denote by $\omega_2$ the circumcircle of triangle $CWM$, and let $Y$ be the point such that $WY$ is a diameter of $\omega_2$. Prove that $X,Y$ and $H$ are collinear.

Proposed by Warut Suksompong and Potcharapol Suteparuk, Thailand
179 replies
liberator
Jan 4, 2016
bjump
Mar 27, 2025
Collinearity with orthocenter
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
Source: IMO 2013 Problem 4
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Patrik
86 posts
#183
Y by
We animate $W$ on $BC$. Observe that $X$ and $Y$ have degree of $1$. Then $X , H , Y$ collinear has degree $2$. It is enough to check $3$ values of $W$. We check for $B$ , $C$ and $AH \cap BC$
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peace09
5417 posts
#184
Y by
peace09 wrote:
Click to reveal hidden text
Silly. Here's an actual solution: let $P$ be the Miquel point of $(AMN)$, $(BNW)$, and $(CMW)$. Clearly $A$ is the radical center of $(BCMN)$, $(BNPW)$, and $(CMPW)$; in particular $A,P,W$ are collinear. Then
  • $HP\perp AW$ since $P\in(AMN)$ of diameter $AH$,
  • $XP\perp AW$ since $P\in(BNW)$ of diameter $WX$, and
  • $YP\perp AW$ since $P\in(CMW)$ of diameter $WY$;
and so $H,X,Y$ are collinear. $\square$
Attachments:
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by peace09, Aug 4, 2024, 7:37 PM
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kinnikuma
9 posts
#185
Y by
Consider $D = (BNW) \cap (WMC)$, and let us demonstrate how powerful this point is.

- $X, D, Y$ are collinear : it's because $\angle XDY = \angle XDW + \angle WDY = \frac{\pi}{2} + \frac{\pi}{2} = \pi$.
- $A, D, W$ are collinear : we just need to show that $A$ lies on the radical axis of $(BNM)$ and $(WMC)$. That's true because $AN \cdot AB = AM \cdot AC$ by power of point (here, $B, N, M, C$ are concyclic).

Hence $\angle ADH = \angle HDW = \frac{\pi}{2}$. Consider finally $(AHD)$ and $(HDW)$. If we show that $(XY)$ is their radical axis than we are done. Let us remember that a radical axis is the line perpendicular to the line formed by the centers, and, if a common point exist between the circles, passing through this common point. Here, we already showed that $(XY)$ contains $D$, a common point between the circles. In addition, it is perpendicular to $(AW)$, which is parallel to the line formed by the centers (why : the centers, since there are only right triangles, are midpoints, so the parallelism is not mysterious anymore, by Thales) $\huge \blacksquare$.
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fasttrust_12-mn
118 posts
#186
Y by
let $\omega_3$ be the circumcircle of $\triangle ANM$ donate $E$ be the miquel point now we have that $A-E-W$ as a fast result we get $X-E-H-Y$



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MagicalToaster53
159 posts
#187
Y by
We use directed angles $\measuredangle$ modulo $\pi$. Let $Z$ be the second point of intersection between $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$. Then observe that $X, Z, Y$ are collinear as $\measuredangle XZW = \measuredangle YZW = 90^{\circ}$. Let $D$ be the point where the altitude from $A$ meets $\overline{BC}$. Then make the observation that $BX \parallel HD$, as $\measuredangle XBW = \measuredangle 90^{\circ} = \measuredangle HDW$. We now make a claim:

Claim: $X, H, Z$ are collinear.
Proof: We have the following angle chase: \[\measuredangle BXH = \measuredangle DHZ = \measuredangle DWZ = \measuredangle BWZ = \measuredangle BXZ. \square\]
Hence as $XZ$ is the same line passing simultaneously through both $H$ and $Y$, we find that $X, H, Z, Y$ are collinear, as desired. $\blacksquare$
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ezpotd
1251 posts
#188
Y by
Draw in $(BWN) \cap (CWM) = K$, then Miquel tells us $(AMNHK)$ is cyclic. Direct angles. We then see $\angle NKX = \angle NBX = 90 - \angle ABC = \angle NAH = \angle NKH$, so $K,H,X$ are collinear, and so are $K,H,Y$, finishing.
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legogubbe
18 posts
#189
Y by
Let $Z$ be the second intersection point of $(BWN)$ and $(CWN)$.

Claim 1. Points $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ are collinear.
Proof. We see by constructions that $BXZW$ and $CYZW$ are cyclic. This implies
\[ \measuredangle WZX = \measuredangle WBX = 90^{\circ} = \measuredangle WCY = \measuredangle WZY, \]which means $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ are indeed collinear.

Claim 2. Quadrilateral $AHZM$ is cyclic.
Proof. By Miquel's theorem, $ANZM$ is cyclic. However, by the properties of the orthocenter, $ANHM$ is cyclic. From this we deduce that in fact, $ANHZM$ is cyclic, thereby $AHZM$ is cyclic.

Let $K$ be the intersection point of lines $AH$ and $BC$.

Claim 3. Quadrilateral $KHZW$ is cyclic.
Proof. From cyclic quadrilaterals,
\[ \measuredangle KHZ = \measuredangle AHZ = \measuredangle AMZ = \measuredangle CMZ = \measuredangle CWZ = \measuredangle KWZ, \]proving our claim.

Finally, $\measuredangle WZH = \measuredangle WKH = \measuredangle CKA = 90^{\circ}$. Hence $X$, $Y$, $Z$ and $H$ are collinear.
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cursed_tangent1434
559 posts
#190
Y by
We let $T$ denote the second intersection of circles $(BNW)$ and $(CMW)$. We start ff by noting that since,
\[\measuredangle WTX = \measuredangle WBX = \frac{\pi}{2}\]and
\[\measuredangle WTY = \measuredangle WCY = \frac{\pi}{2}\]which implies that points $X$ , $T$ and $Y$ are collinear. Next, by Radical Center Theorem on $(BNTW)$ , $(CMTW)$ and $(BNMC)$, lines $\overline{BN}$ , $\overline{TW}$ and $\overline{MC}$ concur. It is clear that $A= BN \cap CM$, so
\[AT \cdot AW = AN \cdot AB = AH \cdot AD\]which implies that $DHTW$ is also cyclic. Now this finishes since,
\[\measuredangle WTH = \measuredangle WDH = \frac{\pi}{2} = \measuredangle WTX\]which implies that $X$ , $H$ and $T$ are collinear. Combining this with our previous observation concludes that points $X$ , $Y$ and $H$ are collinear, as desired.
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Saucepan_man02
1300 posts
#191
Y by
Storage
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cj13609517288
1878 posts
#192 • 1 Y
Y by peace09
Let $Z$ be the other intersection of $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$. By radax on $\omega_1,\omega_2,(BNMC)$ we get that $A,Z,W$ are collinear. Since $\angle XZW=\angle YZW=90^{\circ}$, we get that $X,Y,Z$ are collinear. Thus it suffices to show that $\angle HZW=90^{\circ}$, which is equivalent to $Z$ being on $(AH)$.

Let $f$ denote an inversion centered at $A$ with radius $\sqrt{AN\cdot AB}$. Then $f$ swaps $Z$ and $W$. Unsurprisingly, $f$ also swaps $(AH)$ and $BC$, so we win. $\blacksquare$
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ItsBesi
137 posts
#194
Y by
Nothing new but posting it for storage.

Let $D$ be the feet of the altitude from $A$ to $BC$, let $\omega_1 \cap \omega_2=\{Z\}$.

Claim: Points $\overline{X-Z-Y}$ are collinear.

Proof:

$\angle XZW \stackrel{\omega_1}{=}=90$ and $\angle YZW \stackrel{\omega_1}{=}=90$

Hence $\angle XZY=\angle XZW+\angle YZW=180  \implies \angle XZY=180  \implies$ Points $\overline{X-Z-Y}$ are collinear. $\square$

Claim: Points $\overline{A-Z-W}$ are collinear.

Proof: First note that $\omega_1 \cap \omega_2 =\{W,Z\}$ so $ZW$ is the radical axis of $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$

Also its well known that points $B,N,M$ and $C$ are concyclic so by Power of the Point Theorem we get:

$Pow(A,\omega_1)=AN \cdot AB=Pow(A, \odot(BNMC))=AM \cdot AC=Pow(A,\omega_2) \implies Pow(A,\omega_1)=Pow(A,\omega_2)$

So $A$ lies on the radical axis of $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$ hence $A$ lies on the line $WZ \therefore$ Points $\overline{A-Z-W}$ are collinear. $\square$

Claim: Points $W,D,H$ and $Z$ are concyclic.

Proof: It's also well known that points $D,N,B$ and $H$ are concyclic

So by POP we get:
$AH \cdot AD=Pow(A,\odot(DNBH))=AN \cdot AB=Pow(A,\omega_1)=AZ \cdot AW \implies AH \cdot AD= AZ \cdot AW$

which by the converse of POP we have that: Points $W,D,H$ and $Z$ are concyclic. $\square$ Let $\odot(WDHZ)=\Gamma$.

Claim: Points $\overline{X-H-Y}$ are collinear.

Proof:

From $\Gamma \implies \angle HZW \stackrel{\Gamma}{=} 180-\angle HDZ=180-90=90=\angle XZW \implies \angle HZW=\angle XZW \implies$
Points $\overline{X-H-Z}$ are collinear, combining with the first claim that Points $\overline{X-Z-Y}$ are collinear we get that $\overline{X-H-Z-Y}$ are all collinear

Hence points $\overline{X-H-Y}$ are collinear $\blacksquare$
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Maximilian113
517 posts
#195
Y by
Let $P$ be the second intersection of $w_1, w_2.$ Note that by Miquel's Theorem, $AMPN$ is cyclic, but clearly $H$ also lies on this circle so $AMPHN$ is cyclic. Therefore, $$\angle NPH = \angle NAH = 90^\circ - \angle ABC = \angle XBN = \angle XPN,$$so $X, H, P$ are collinear. Similarly, $H, P, Y$ are collinear as well and we are done. QED
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Ilikeminecraft
329 posts
#196
Y by
let $P$ be second intersection of $(BNW), (MWC).$
By Radax on those two circles and $(BNMC),$ we get $A,P,W$ are collinear.
furthermore, miquel theorem on $ABC$ with $M, P, W$ as the points, we get $ANHPM$ is cyclic. Hence, $\angle APH = 90.$
However, $\angle BHP = 90 = \angle HPW$ so $X, H, P$ are collinear.
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endless_abyss
31 posts
#197
Y by
Let $P$ denote the second intersection of the circumcircles $B N W$ and $C M W$,

Claim we claim that $X - P - H$ and $Y - P - H$ are collinear

Let $Q$ denote the foot of $A$ onto $B C$, then we know that -

$\angle B H Q = C$
$\angle B H X  = \angle P W B - C$
$\angle Q H P = \angle 180 - \angle P W B$

So, $X - P - H$ are collinear, similarly, $Y - P - H$ are collinear.
$\square$
:starwars:
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bjump
994 posts
#198
Y by
Let $D$ be the second interssection of $\omega_1$, and $\omega_2$. Since $\angle XDW = \angle YDW = 90^\circ$, $X$, $D$, and $Y$ are collinear. Let $E$ be the foot from $A$, since $AM \cdot AC = AN \cdot AB$. $A$ lies on $WD$ by radical axis. Converse of Radical axis with lines $NB$, $MC$ and $HE$, and $\omega_1$, and $\omega_2$ gives $HEWD$ cyclic, which means that $\angle WDH = 90^\circ$. So the points are collinear.
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