MathLabs

Problem 1

Let ABCABC be a triangle and JJ the center of the AA-excircle. This excircle is tangent to the side BCBC at MM, and to the lines ABAB and ACAC at KK and LL, respectively. The lines LMLM and BJBJ meet at FF, and the lines KMKM and CJCJ meet at GG. Let SS be the point of intersection of the lines AFAF and BCBC, and let TT be the point of intersection of the lines AGAG and BCBC. Prove that MM is the midpoint of STST.
Step 4 of 5: Project from A onto BC to get S and T
In plain words

Intersecting a line through A with the opposite side BC in barycentric coordinates simply zeroes out the A-coordinate while keeping the B- and C-coordinates unchanged.

S=(0:a+c:−c),T=(0:−b:a+b)S=(0:a+c:-c),\quad T=(0:-b:a+b)
Detailed analysis

Because A=(1:0:0)A=(1:0:0) and line BCBC is given by x=0x=0, intersecting AFAF with BCBC simply drops the first coordinate of FF, giving S=AF∩BC=(0:a+c:−c)S=AF\cap BC=(0:a+c:-c), and similarly T=AG∩BC=(0:−b:a+b)T=AG\cap BC=(0:-b:a+b); that is, S=(0:a+c:−c),T=(0:−b:a+b)S=(0:a+c:-c),\quad T=(0:-b:a+b). Since the coordinate sums of both (0,a+c,−c)(0,a+c,-c) and (0,−b,a+b)(0,-b,a+b) equal aa, dividing by aa already puts both SS and TT in normalized barycentric form (coordinate sum 11), while M=(0:s−b:s−c)M=(0:s-b:s-c) normalizes to (0,s−ba,s−ca)(0,\tfrac{s-b}{a},\tfrac{s-c}{a}) (using (s−b)+(s−c)=a(s-b)+(s-c)=a).