Name:__________________________

Exploring Chords, Secant and Tangent Lines

~Before getting started make sure the Axes is hidden. To do this go to View and then click Axes. Activity #1 1) Draw a Circle - click the circle picture and select the first option: Circle with Center through Point 2) Draw a line segment that has endpoints on the circle - click the line picture and select the second option: Segment between Two Points You have just drawn a CHORD, in the space provided draw this picture

3) Draw a line that intersects the circle at two points - click the line picture and select the first option: Line through Two Points You have just drawn a SECANT line, in the space provided draw this picture

A secant line intersects the circle at how many points? __________

Activity #2 1) Draw a new Circle 2) Draw a radius of the circle 3) Draw a line that is perpendicular to the radius - click the intersection of lines picture and select the option: Perpendicular Line - click the radius and point on the circle You have just drawn a TANGENT line, in the space provided draw this picture

The point where the tangent and the circle intersect is called the POINT OF TANGENCY (label this in your picture) Activity #3 1) Draw a Circle 2) Draw a new circle with same Center You have just drawn CONCENTRIC CIRCLES, in the space provided draw this picture.

What do you notice about the center of these two circles? 3) Draw another Circle with the center on the outside of your previous circles and then intersect the other circle at exactly one point. You have just drawn TANGENT CIRCLES, in the space provided draw this picture.

What do you notice is similar about Tangent Circles and a Tangent Line.

Activity #4 1) Draw a circle and create a point outside of the circle 2) Click the Intersecting lines picture and select the option: Tangents 3) Click the point and the circle Two intersecting lines should appear 4) Now create a line that goes through the center of the circle and the point where the lines intersect 5) Pick a point on the other side of the intersection and draw a circle that touches both lines (similar to the first circle) You have just drawn COMMON INTERIOR TANGENT LINES; draw a picture of this in the space provided.

What do you think Common EXTERIOR Tangent Lines of two circles might look like?

Activity #5 1) Draw a circle and a pair of tangent lines to this circle (just like the first 3 steps in Activity 4) 2) Plot the two points of tangency. 3) Measure the distance from one point of tangency to the intersection of the tangent lines. Now, do the same for the other point of tangency. Click the TOOLS option Select MEASUREMENT TOOLS Select DISTANCE OR LENGTH What do you notice about these two lengths? Do you think this is true for all segments like this?