Question

Study the diagram of circle C, where two chords, AB¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ and DE¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯, are equidistant from the center.

The diagram as described in the problem.

If AB=3x−7, and DE=5(x−5), what is the length of AB¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯?
Enter the correct value.

Answer 1

Explanation:

If AB and DE are equidistant from the center, that means that they are the same length. We set the equations equal to one another and solve for x:

3x - 7 = 5(x - 5) and

3x - 7 = 5x - 25 and

18 = 2x so

x = 9. Now we sub that into the expression for AB (or DE since they're the same length):

3(9) - 7 = 20

Both AB and DE measure 20 units.