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In quadrilateral ABCD, named in order, the angle at B and the angle at D are both right angles. What must be true of the four vertices?

Competition practiceGeometry
  • AABCD must be a rectangle
  • BThey lie on one circle, and BD is a diameter of it
  • CThey lie on one circle only when AB = AD
  • DThey lie on one circle, and AC is a diameter of it

Step-by-Step Solution

The angles at B and at D are opposite angles of the quadrilateral and they add to 90° + 90° = 180°, which is exactly the test for a cyclic quadrilateral, so the four points always lie on one circle. Which chord is the diameter? The right angle sits at B and at D, and both of those angles stand on the segment AC, so AC subtends 90° at two points of the circle — an angle in a semicircle — making AC the diameter. BD is merely an ordinary chord. A rectangle would need all FOUR angles to be right angles, and no condition such as AB = AD is needed for the concyclicity.
Answer: D) They lie on one circle, and AC is a diameter of it

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