Common Chord and a Tangent: What is this about?
A Mathematical Droodle
|
|Activities| |Contact| |Front page| |Contents| |Geometry| |Eye opener|
Copyright © 1996-2018 Alexander BogomolnyThe applet may suggest the following statement:
Let there be two circles (O) and (Q) -- in notations that show their centers. Assume the circles intersect and AB is their common chord. Let BM be a piece of tangent to (O) inside (Q). If Q lies on (O), then |
|
Proof
Assume Q is on (O). Join QA, QB, and QM. All three are radii of (Q) and hence are equal. Triangles AQB and BQM are isosceles. In addition, their base angles coincide. Indeed, ∠ABM between tangent and chord AB cuts off arc AQB and equals half the angular measure of the latter. Inscribed ∠ABQ that is subtended by arc AQ which is one half of arc AQB, is ½∠ABM. It follows that BM is the bisector of angle ABM and
References
- R. Nelsen, Proofs Without Words, MAA, 1993, p. 18
|Activities| |Contact| |Front page| |Contents| |Geometry| |Eye opener|
Copyright © 1996-2018 Alexander Bogomolny71868889