答案,的确挺复杂的:
Fuxiang Yu sent in a much improved solution to this puzzle: Link to pdf
Most of the submited solutions demonstrated the fundamental challenge of this problem: How do you prove something that seems obviously true? The problem’s simplicity and the intuitive “obviousness” of the conclusion lead many responders down dead end paths. Some suggested using trigonometric functions to prove triangle ABC equilateral, but none of the other triangles present are implicitly “right” triangles. Others began with the assumption that triangles ADF, BED, and CFE were congruent, which cannot be assumed, but rather needs to be proved.
Here is our solution. Click for the IBM techexplorer version.
Our earlier posted solution follows. We proceed by breaking into cases. Let the sides of DEF have length x, and the line segments AD, BE, and CF have length y. The form of our solution will depend on the value of y/x. We begin with some special cases. The following Diagram is referenced for Case 1 & 2.
Case 1, when y/x = 2/SQR3
In this case the largest value possible for angle A would be 60° --when angle ADF = 90° (see diagram). Since AD = BE = CF, this holds true for triangles BED and CFE as well. In this case then, since angles A, B, and C must sum to 180° , they must all be 60°, and ABC equilateral.
Case 2, when y/x > 2/ SQR3
In this case, as x grows smaller (or y larger, or both) Angle A only grows smaller (see diagram). Again, since this is occuring equally throughout triangle ABC (AD = BE = CF, and triangle DEF is equilateral), angles A, B, and C must be under 60°, which makes it very difficult for them to sum to 180°. So case 2 is not possible.
Case 3, when y/x = 1, or when triangle ADF is isosceles.
For convenience, lable the angles as follows: ADF = beta, FAD = A, DFA = gamma, CFE = delta, and BED = epsilon. We know that gamma = A = 90° - beta / 2. This implies that delta = 180° - (gamma + 60°). Substituting (90° - (beta / 2)) for gamma, we get delta = (beta / 2) + 30°. Similarly, epsilon = (delta / 2) + 30°, and beta = (epsilon / 2) + 30°. The system of linear equations has the unique solution beta = >A = gamma = delta = epsilon = 60°. in particular A = 60° , and the same argument implies that all three angles of the large triangle are 60° and it is therefore equilateral.
Case 4, when 0 < (y/x) < 1
Consider fixed values of x, y with 0 < y < x. Concentrate first on the triangel DAF, where we label the angles as in case 3 above and two sides are fixed at FD = x, DA = y. Let beta range from 0° to 180° and notice what happens to A and gamma. As beta increases, AF increases (by the law of cosines), and A decreases from 180° to 0°. By the law of sines, gamma at first increases from 0°, but when A hits 90°, gamma starts decreasing (if plotted on a graph, gamma’s range would describe a parabola).
So there is exactly one value of beta, call it beta 0, which makes A = 60°. Let the angles in this case be called A0 = 60° and gamma0 = 180° - beta 0 - A0. We would have delta0 = 180° - 60° - gamma0 = beta0. Then each angle of the large triangle is 60° and it is equilateral.
Suppose that all three angles beta, delta, epsilon, are smaller than beta0. Then each of the three angles A, B, and C is larger than 60°, and so can’t sum to 180°.
The only other possibility is when the largest of the three, say beta, is larger than beta0. Then A < A0 = 60° < 90° so that gamma < gamma0 , and delta = 180° - 60° - gamma is also larger than beta0 . By the same argument, epsilon > beta0 . Then each of the three angles A, B and C is smaller than 60° , and again they can’t sum to 180°.
So, in this case, the only consistent conclusion is when beta = beta0 and the large triangle is equilateral.
Case 5, when 1 < (y/x) < 2 / SQR3
This last case is somewhat easier than # 4 above. Consider a movable triangle as before, but remember that y > x . So as beta grows from 0° to 180°, we notice that gamma shrinks from 180° to 0°, and delta grows. This means that beta, delta, epsilon must all be the same; if delta were larger than beta, than (by monotonicity) epsilon would be larger than delta, and beta would be larger still, which would yield a contradiction. If beta, delta, and epsilon are the same, then by side-angle-side, the three triangles ADF, CFE, and BED are congruent, so the outer angles A, B, and C are equal, and the large triangle is equilateral.
意思是:
从我们有这题开始,很多兄弟提交了他们的答案。这个几何题看上去大的三角形显然就是等边三角形,以为很简单,不行的,告诉你不行的,这样是不行的。也有一些弟兄假设△ADF,△BED和△CFE全等,但这些假设都是没有根据的,哎,没办法下面我们只能给出一下比较差劲的证明。
我们这个早前(差劲)的证明是这样的,假设△DEF的边为x,这条边分割AD、BE和CF。AD=BE=CF的长度y。我们解决问题的方向主要是根据y/x的值的情况来穷举的。共有下面几种情况,第一,第二种情况请参照图解。
(这是我作的说明,第一、二种情况的y不是AD的长度,而是AF的长度参照图,第三种情况后,y所指长度才为AD。让我费解。)
第一种情况:y/x=2/SQR3 (2除以根号3)
这种情况的出现,最大的可能是∠A=60°、∠ADF=90°;又因为AD=BE=CF,所以△BED全等于△CFE,三角形的内角和为180°,所以△ABC的每个角都为60°,这种情况下是△ABC等边三角形。
第二种情况:y/x >2/SQR3
这种情况的引起为:x变小或y变大,或同时x变小和y变大。由此可推出∠A变小,(看图,不明的再看图,再看图。哈哈)又因为△EDF为等边三角形且AD=BE=CF,那么∠A和∠B与∠C都小于60°(三角形的内角和等于180°),这种情况可能吗?。故这种情况是不可能出现的。
第三种情况:y/x=1或都可以说△ADF为等腰三角形
为方便起见,我们先来些标记∠ADF=∠β、∠FAD=∠α、∠DFA=∠γ、∠CFE=∠δ、∠BED=∠ε这样我们得到∠γ=∠α=(180°-∠β)/2=90°-∠β/2;∠δ=180°-(∠γ+60°),将∠γ代入得到∠δ=(∠β/2)+30°,同样的得到∠ε=(∠β/2)+30° 和∠β=(∠ε/2)+30°
由这些方程式可以得到∠β= >∠α=∠γ=∠δ =∠ε= 60°. 从而求证到∠α=60°,同理可证其它二个角也为60°因此这个△ABC大三角形是全等三角形。
后两情况兄弟们自己看着办吧。。。。。
第四种情况:0 < (y/x) < 1
。。。。
第五种情况:1 < (y/x) < 2 / SQR3