1965 AMC 12 Problem 30

Attempt Problem 30 of the 1965 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1965 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

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30.

Let BCBC of right triangle ABCABC be the diameter of a circle intersecting hypotenuse ABAB in D.D. At DD a tangent is drawn cutting leg CACA in F.F. This information is not sufficient to prove that:
DFDF bisects CACA
DFDF bisects ∠CDA\angle CDA
DF=FADF=FA
∠A=∠BCD\angle A=\angle BCD
∠CFD=2∠A\angle CFD=2\angle A
Answer: B
Concepts:tangent lineright triangleangle bisector theoremcounterexample
Small hint:
Use coordinates C=(0,0),A=(a,0),B=(0,b)C=(0,0), A=(a,0), B=(0,b)
Big hint:
The tangent meets CACA at its midpoint; test the angle-bisector claim with the angle-bisector theorem
Solution:
Put C=(0,0), A=(a,0),C=(0,0),\ A=(a,0), and B=(0,b).B=(0,b). The second intersection of ABAB with the circle of diameter BCBC is D=(ab2a2+b2,a2ba2+b2). D=\left(\frac{ab^2}{a^2+b^2}, \frac{a^2b}{a^2+b^2}\right). The tangent at DD meets CACA at F=(a2,0).F=(\frac{a}{2},0). Hence DFDF bisects CA;CA; also FC=FD=FAFC=FD=FA by equal tangents from F,F, which supplies choices C and E, and the circle/right-triangle angles supply choice D.
If DFDF bisected ∠CDA,\angle CDA, the angle-bisector theorem in triangle CDACDA would require CFFA=CDDA.\frac{CF}{FA}=\frac{CD}{DA}. The left side is 1,1, while CDDA=aba2=ba, \frac{CD}{DA}=\frac{ab}{a^2}=\frac ba, which need not be 1.1. Thus choice B is not provable.
Therefore, the correct answer is B.
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