MHB Triangle Challenge: Prove 2.5<PQ/QR<3

anemone
Gold Member
MHB
POTW Director
Messages
3,851
Reaction score
115
In a triangle $PQR$ right-angled at $R$, the median through $Q$ bisects the angle between $QP$ and the bisector of $\angle Q$.

Prove that $2.5<\dfrac{PQ}{QR}<3$.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
My solution:

Please refer to the following diagram:

View attachment 3974

We see that:

$$\sec^2(4\alpha)=\left(\frac{\overline{PQ}}{\overline{QR}}\right)^2$$

And we also find:

$$4\tan^2(3\alpha)+1=\left(\frac{\overline{PQ}}{\overline{QR}}\right)^2$$

And so this implies:

$$f(\alpha)=4\tan^2(3\alpha)-\sec^2(4\alpha)+1=0$$

Using a numeric root-finding technique, we find the smallest positive root (the only applicable root) is:

$$\alpha\approx0.29630697598921511618$$

And thus:

$$\sec(4\alpha)\approx2.6589670819169940791$$

Hence:

$$2.5<\frac{\overline{PQ}}{\overline{QR}}<3$$
 

Attachments

  • trianglechallenge.png
    trianglechallenge.png
    2 KB · Views: 101
Thanks, MarkFL for participating and the really smart and intelligent way to prove this challenge! :cool:

I want to share the solution of other too:

If we use MarkFL's provided diagram, the Sine rule tells us, both from triangles $PQS$ and $QSR$ that

$\dfrac{QS}{\sin P}=\dfrac{PS}{\sin \theta}$

$\dfrac{QS}{\sin 90^{\circ}}=\dfrac{RS}{\sin 3\theta}$

Since $PS=RS$, we obtain $\sin 3\theta \sin P=\sin \theta$. However, $P=90^{\circ}-4\theta$, thus we get $\sin 3\theta \cos 4\theta=\sin \theta$.

Note that

$\dfrac{PQ}{QR}=\dfrac{1}{\cos 4\theta}=\dfrac{\sin 3\theta}{\sin \theta}=3-4\sin^2 \theta$

This shows that $\dfrac{PQ}{QR}<3$.

Using $\dfrac{PQ}{QR}=3-4\sin^2 \theta$, it's easy to compute $\cos 2\theta=\dfrac{\dfrac{PQ}{QR}-1}{2}$.

Hence,

$\dfrac{QR}{PQ}=\cos 4\theta=\dfrac{1}{2}\left(\dfrac{PQ}{QR}-1\right)^2-1$

Suppose $\dfrac{PQ}{QR}\le 2.5=\dfrac{5}{2}$. Then $\left(\dfrac{PQ}{QR}-1\right)^2\le \dfrac{9}{4}$ and $\dfrac{QR}{PQ}\ge \dfrac{2}{5}$.

Thus,

$\dfrac{2}{5}\le \dfrac{QR}{PQ}=\dfrac{1}{2}\left(\dfrac{PQ}{QR}-1\right)^2-1\le \dfrac{9}{8}-1=\dfrac{1}{8}$, which is absurd.

We conclude then that $\dfrac{QR}{PQ}>\dfrac{5}{2}$ and the proof is done.
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
I'm interested to know whether the equation $$1 = 2 - \frac{1}{2 - \frac{1}{2 - \cdots}}$$ is true or not. It can be shown easily that if the continued fraction converges, it cannot converge to anything else than 1. It seems that if the continued fraction converges, the convergence is very slow. The apparent slowness of the convergence makes it difficult to estimate the presence of true convergence numerically. At the moment I don't know whether this converges or not.
Back
Top