How Do You Determine Whether a Line is Tangent to a Circle?

How Do You Determine Whether a Line is Tangent to a Circle?

Note:

In this tutorial, you'll see how the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem is used to figure out if a line is tangent to a circle.

Keywords:

  • cirle
  • problem
  • line
  • tangent line
  • perpendicular
  • converse pythagorean theorem
  • pythagorean theorem

Background Tutorials

  • Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.

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      How Do You Square a Number?

      Want to square a number? Just take the number and multiply it by itself! If you square an integer, you get a perfect square! Check out squaring in this tutorial!

  • Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and use them to solve problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship between the circumference and area of a circle.

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      Circles are a fundamental part of math! In this tutorial, you'll be introduced to circles and see the different parts of a circle such as the diameter, radius, and chord. Check out this tutorial to learn about circles!

  • Explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse.

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      How Do You Determine if a Triangle Is a Right Triangle if You Know its Sides?

      Think your triangle is a right triangle? Want to be sure? If you have the length of each side, apply the Pythagorean theorem to the triangle. If you get a true statement when you simplify, then you do indeed have a right triangle! If you get a false statement, then you can be sure that your triangle is not a right triangle. Check out this tutorial and learn how use the Pythagorean theorem to see if a triangle is a right triangle!

      • What is the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem?What is the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem?

      What is the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem?

      The converse of the Pythagorean Theorem is like the the Pythagorean Theorem in reverse. You can use it both forward and backward! Not all theorems work this way, but the Pythagorean Theorem does! This tutorial will show you how to use both the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse.

  • Identify and describe relationships among inscribed angles, radii, and chords. Include the relationship between central, inscribed, and circumscribed angles; inscribed angles on a diameter are right angles; the radius of a circle is perpendicular to the tangent where the radius intersects the circle.

      • What is a Tangent Line to a Circle?What is a Tangent Line to a Circle?

      What is a Tangent Line to a Circle?

      What does it mean when a line is tangent to a circle? In this tutorial, you'll learn what a line needs to do to be a tangent line to a circle.