Homework Help: Math

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:56am.

Two lengths are drawn from a Point P to a circle centre (o). The radius of the circle is 8.2cm and P is 12.4cm from o. Find the angle between the tangents.

Please help, I really don't understand it.

Math - drwls, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:02am
If one of the lengths goes to the center, where does the other one go? Is is a tangent? You don't say so. You talk about "between the tangents" but one of the lines is not a tangent.
Math - Reiny, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:23am
If I understand the question, tangents are drawn to the circle from point P.
Let those contact points be A and B
In triangle APO,
AO=8.2
OP = 12.4
and the angle at A is 90º

let angle APO be ß
sin ß=8.2/12.4
ß = 41.4º

so the angle between the two tangents is 82.8º

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