Question

Step 1

Start with a circle with a center O and a point on the circle P.

Step 2

Using a straight edge draw a line that starts at O and goes through P.

Step 3

Put your compass on P and draw two points, Q and R, on the line OP. These points should be the same distance from P.

Step 4

Measure out the distance from Q to R.

Step 5

Draw the point S by creating two
arcs from points Q and R. Use the distance measured in Step 4.

Step 6

Draw the tangent line PS.

Answer 1

This set of instructions describes how to construct a tangent line to a circle from a point outside of the circle.

Step 1: Draw a circle with center O and a point P on the circle.
Step 2: Draw a line that passes through O and P.
Step 3: Using P as the center, draw two points Q and R on the line OP that are equidistant from P.
Step 4: Measure the distance from Q to R.
Step 5: Draw two arcs with centers at Q and R and with the measured distance from Step 4. The arcs should intersect at a point S.
Step 6: Draw a line from P to S. This line is the tangent to the circle at point P.