Mayank Kapoor, Campion School, Bhopal, India proved that the
quadrilateral PQRS will always be a parallelogram.
Considering first two intersecting circles with centres P and Q,
XB is the common chord and PQ is the line joining the centres.
Therefore XB is perpendicular to PQ.
In the same way, XD is perpendicular to RS. XB and XD are on the
same line and therefore PQ is parallel to RS.
Proceeding in a similar manner and considering the circles with
centres Q and R, we can prove that the line segments QR and PS
are parallel. This completes the proof that PQRS is a
parallelogram.
Mayank's proof uses the fact that, for any two intersecting
circles, the line joining the centres is perpendicular to the
common chord.
Yung Polam, from Hong Kong included a proof of this fact.
Let BX intersect PQ at the point M.
Consider triangles BPQ and XPQ. BQ = XQ (radii) and BP = XP
(radii), PQ = PQ (common). Therefore triangles BPQ and XPQ are
congruent.
Therefore angle PQB = angle PQX But BQ = XQ (radii) and QM = QM
(common) . Hence triangles BQM and XQM are congruent.
Hence angle BMQ = angle XMQ (corr. angles, congruent triangles).
Therefore angle XMQ = 90 degrees.
Chi Kin Ho, St Dominic's International School of Lisbon, also
gave an excellent proof including a discussion of the degenerate
cases where one vertex, A, B, C or D is moved on top of another
or on top of the point X. In these cases there is no longer a
convex quadrilateral ABCD. For instance, if we move C on top of
B, both the points B, C and X are joined at one point. As a
result, the circumcircle of the triangle BXC is reduced to a
point, and only 3 circles will be left. Quadrilateral PQRS cannot
be formed any more. Consider also, as we move C on top of X, the
common chord CX will be eventually reduced to a point, and RQ
will therefore disappear. Quadrilateral PQRS can't be formed.
Finally, if we move C on top of A, two of the circles will be
overlapping the other two. As a result, RQ will also overlap PS,
and the quadrilateral PQRS is reduced to a line.