# Difference between revisions of "2008 AMC 10B Problems/Problem 10"

## Problem

Points $A$ and $B$ are on a circle of radius $5$ and $AB=6$. Point $C$ is the midpoint of the minor arc $AB$. What is the length of the line segment $AC$?

$\mathrm{(A)}\ \sqrt{10}\qquad\mathrm{(B)}\ \frac{7}{2}\qquad\mathrm{(C)}\ \sqrt{14}\qquad\mathrm{(D)}\ \sqrt{15}\qquad\mathrm{(E)}\ 4$

## Solution

Let the center of the circle be $O$, and let $D$ be the intersection of $\overline{AB}$ and $\overline{OC}$ (then $D$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AB}$). $OA=OB=5$, since they are both radii of the circle.

By the Pythagorean Theorem, $OD = \sqrt{OA^2 - DA^2} = 4$, and by subtraction, $CD=OC - OD = 1$.

Using the Pythagorean Theorem again, $AC= \sqrt{AD^2 + CD^2} = \sqrt{3^2+1^2}=\sqrt{10} \Longrightarrow \textbf{(A)}$.

$[asy] pen d = linewidth(0.7); pathpen = d; pointpen = black; pen f = fontsize(9); path p = CR((0,0),5); pair O = (0,0), A=(5,0), B = IP(p,CR(A,6)), C = IP(p,CR(A,3)), D=IP(A--B,O--C); D(p); D(MP("A",A,E)--D(MP("O",O))--MP("B",B,NE)--cycle); D(A--MP("C",C,ENE),dashed+d); D(O--C,dashed+d); D(rightanglemark(O,D(MP("D",D,W)),A)); MP("5",(A+O)/2); MP("3",(A+D)/2,SW); [/asy]$