Power of a Point Theorem/Introductory Problem 4
Revision as of 06:41, 1 July 2006 by Joml88 (talk | contribs) (Power of a Point Introductory Problem 4 moved to Power of a Point Theorem Introductory Problem 4)
Problem
(ARML) Chords and
of a given circle are perpendicular to each other and intersect at a right angle. Given that
and
, find
.
Solution
is a right triangle with hypotenuse 5 and leg 4. Thus, by the Pythagorean Theorem,
(or by just knowing your Pythagorean Triples). Applying the Power of a Point Theorem gives
or
. Solving gives
.
Back to the Power of a Point Theorem.