• YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page

Prove a circle has a tangent (1 Viewer)

Redyapper

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
52
Gender
Female
HSC
N/A
Hi,

I need to prove that x^2+2x+y^2-4y-4=0 has the tangent 3x+4y+10=0.
How I've done previous questions like this is through simultaneous equations, then finding the discriminant, and if the discriminant=0, that means it's got one root and hence that's the tangent.

I just keep going wrong somewhere in this question, and I have no clue where so if someone could solve it so I could find what I'm doing wrong, it'd be great.

Thanks!
 

nightweaver066

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
1,585
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Rearranging the tangent equation,

Subbing in to the equation for the circle,








 

J-Wang

Member
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
120
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
When derivative is equal to 0, there is a tangent as shown by nightweaver
 

Timothy6340

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
96
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
wouldnt it be easier to find the radius of the circle and then do perpendicular distance formula from the the centre of the circle and the line and it the distances are = its a tangent
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top