Question

What is the value of x

Answer 1

Check the picture below.

keeping in mind that the point of tangency is always a right-angle.

`\begin{array}{llll} \textit{using the pythagorean theorem} \\\\ c^2=a^2+o^2\implies c=√(a^2 + o^2) \end{array} \qquad \begin{cases} c=\stackrel{hypotenuse}{x}\\ a=\stackrel{adjacent}{14}\\ o=\stackrel{opposite}{9} \end{cases} \\\\\\ x=√( 14^2 + 9^2)\implies x=√( 196 + 81 ) \implies x=√( 277 )\implies x\approx 16.64`