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Determine if line AB is tangent to the circle. Type

your answer below and EXPLAIN HOW YOU KNOW.
This should be a full sentence using the vocabulary
we have discussed.

Determine if line AB is tangent to the circle. Type your answer below and EXPLAIN-example-1

1 Answer

8 votes

Answer:

If AB is a tangent to the circle, the triangle ABO is right angled, as the angle where a tangent meets the circumference is always 90 degrees.

We also know that Pythogoras' theorem only holds for right angled triangles.

The hypotenuse is 12 + 8 as 12 is the radius so is 20.

16^2+12^2 = 256 + 144 = 400 = 20^2 so AB must be tangent.

User Androniennn
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