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2015 Paper 2 Q8
D: 1600.0 B: 1500.0
vectors circles tangent collinearity position vectors geometric proof ratio external tangent

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TikZ diagram
The diagram above shows two non-overlapping circles \(C_1\) and \(C_2\) of different sizes. The lines \(L\) and \(L'\) are the two common tangents to \(C_1\) and \(C_2\) such that the two circles lie on the same side of each of the tangents. The lines \(L\) and \(L'\) intersect at the point \(P\) which is called the focus of \(C_1\) and \(C_2\).
  1. Let \(\mathbf{x}_1\) and \(\mathbf{x}_2\) be the position vectors of the centres of \(C_1\) and \(C_2\), respectively. Show that the position vector of \(P\) is \[ \frac{r_1 \mathbf{x}_2- r_2 \mathbf{x}_1}{r_1-r_2} \,, \] where \(r_1\) and \(r_2\) are the radii of \(C_1\) and \(C_2\), respectively.
  2. The circle \(C_3\) does not overlap either \(C_1\) or \(C_2\) and its radius, \(r_3\), satisfies \(r_1 \ne r_3 \ne r_2\). The focus of \(C_1\) and \(C_3\) is \(Q\), and the focus of \(C_2\) and \(C_3\) is \(R\). Show that \(P\), \(Q\) and \(R\) lie on the same straight line.
  3. Find a condition on \(r_1\), \(r_2\) and \(r_3\) for \(Q\) to lie half-way between \(P\) and \(R\).

Solution:

  1. Notice that \(P\) lies on \(C_1C_2\), and that the triangles formed from \(C_iPT_i\) where \(T_i\) are the tangent points are similar, with ratios \(\frac{r_1}{r_2}\). Therefore \(\frac{C_1P}{r_1} = \frac{C_2P}{r_2}\), and hence \(\frac{C_1P}{C_1C_2} = \frac{C_1P}{C_1P-C_2P} = \frac{1}{1-\frac{r_2}{r_1}} = \frac{r_1}{r_1-r_2}\) So we have \(\mathbf{p} = \mathbf{x_1} + (\mathbf{x}_2 - \mathbf{x}_1)\cdot\frac{r_1}{r_1-r_2} = \frac{r_1\mathbf{x}_2 - r_2\mathbf{x}_1}{r_1-r_2}\)
  2. Suppose \(\mathbf{x}_3 = \binom{\alpha}{\beta}\) in the basis of \(\{ \mathbf{x}_1, \mathbf{x}_2 \}\), then we can see that \begin{align*} && \mathbf{p} &= \frac{1}{r_1-r_2}\binom{-r_2}{r_1} \\ && \mathbf{q} &= \frac{r_1(\alpha \mathbf{x}_1 +\beta \mathbf{x}_2) - r_3\mathbf{x}_1}{r_1-r_3} \\ &&&= \frac{1}{r_1-r_3} \binom{r_1\alpha -r_3}{r_1\beta} \\ && \mathbf{r} &=\frac{1}{r_2-r_3} \binom{r_2\alpha}{r_2\beta - r_3} \\ && \mathbf{p}-\mathbf{q} &= \frac{1}{r_1-r_2}\binom{-r_2}{r_1} - \frac{1}{r_1-r_3} \binom{r_1\alpha -r_3}{r_1\beta} \\ &&&= \frac{1}{(r_1-r_2)(r_1-r_3)} \binom{(r_1-r_3)(-r_2)-(r_1-r_2)(r_1\alpha-r_3)}{(r_1-r_3)r_1 - (r_1-r_2)r_1\beta} \\ &&&= \frac{r_1}{(r_1-r_2)(r_1-r_3)} \binom{(r_3-r_2)-\alpha(r_1-r_2)}{(r_1-r_3)-\beta(r_1-r_2)} \\ && \mathbf{q} - \mathbf{r} &= \frac{1}{r_1-r_3} \binom{r_1\alpha -r_3}{r_1\beta} - \frac{1}{r_2-r_3} \binom{r_2\alpha}{r_2\beta - r_3} \\ &&&= \frac{1}{(r_1-r_3)(r_2-r_3)}\binom{(r_2-r_3)(r_1\alpha-r_3) - (r_1-r_3)r_2\alpha)}{(r_2-r_3)r_1\beta - (r_1-r_3)(r_2\beta - r_3)} \\ &&&= \frac{1}{(r_1-r_3)(r_2-r_3)}\binom{(-r_2r_3+r_3^2) - \alpha(r_1r_3-r_3r_2)}{r_3(r_1-r_3)-\beta(r_1-r_2)} \\ &&&= \frac{r_3}{(r_1-r_3)(r_2-r_3)}\binom{(r_3-r_2)-\alpha(r_1-r_2)}{(r_1-r_3)-\beta(r_1-r_2)} \end{align*} Therefore they are clearly parallel, and hence lie on a line.
  3. \(Q\) is halfway between \(P\) and \(R\) if \begin{align*} && \frac{r_1}{(r_1-r_2)(r_1-r_3)} &= \frac{r_3}{(r_1-r_3)(r_2-r_3)} \\ \Leftrightarrow && r_1(r_2-r_3) &= r_3(r_1-r_2) \\ \Leftrightarrow && r_1r_2 - r_1r_3 &= r_1r_3 - r_2r_3 \\ \Leftrightarrow && r_2 &= \frac{2r_1r_3}{r_1+r_3} \end{align*}

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