The Encyclopedia of Geometry (0071)


Problem

If the feet of the perpendicular lines drawn from $A$ and $B$ to the opposite sides of a triangle $ABC$ are $D$ and $E$, respectively, and the midpoint of $AB$ is $F$, then

$$∠EDF=∠C.$$


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Solution

If the intersection of $AD$ and $BE$ is $H$, then $∠C$ and $∠EHD$ form supplementary angles to each other, and thus,

$$∠AHE=∠C,$$

$$∠AHE=∠HDE+∠HED,$$

$$∴ \ ∠C=∠HDE+∠HED.$$

Then, since $∠AEB=∠ADB=∠R$, $A$, $B$, $D$ and $E$ are on the same circumference, and

$$∠HED=∠FAD.$$

Since $F$ is the midpoint of the hypotenuse $AB$ of the right triangle $ABD$,

$$∠FAD=∠FDA,$$

$$∴ \ ∠C=∠HDE+∠FDA=∠EDF.$$

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Reference

Teiichiro Sasabe (1976) The Encyclopedia of Geometry (2nd edition), Seikyo-Shinsha, p.18