Question

Is segment AB tangent to circle O shown in the diagram, for AB = 8, OB = 3.75, and AO = 10.25. Explain your reasoning and show all work in your own words. (The figure is not drawn to scale.)

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

not tangent

Explanation:

AB will be tangent to circle O if AB ⊥ BO. That can be tested by checking to see if AB, BO, and AO satisfy the Pythagorean theorem.

According to the Pythagorean theorem, the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs 3.75 and 8 will be ...

hypotenuse = √(3.75² +8²) = √78.0625 ≈ 8.835

The length of AO is somewhat greater than that, so AB cannot be a tangent to the circle.

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The angle ABO is obtuse.