Maintaining Equal Distances

Geometry Level 3

A circle with centre O = ( 3 , 5 ) O=(3,5) hosts a pair of tangents at A A and B B from an external point P = ( 9 , 11 ) P=(9,11) .

Find the distance between the origin and the point inside the quadrilateral A O B P AOBP which is equidistant from its four vertices.


The answer is 10.

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3 solutions

Relevant wiki: Cyclic Quadrilaterals

Clearly, that quadrilateral is a cyclic quadrilateral because O A P OAP and O B P OBP are both right angles since those are the angles between the radius and tangent lines. Hence their sum is 18 0 180^{\circ} , and from the angle sum property of a quadrilateral, the sum of the other two opposite sides is 18 0 180^{\circ} too.

Now, this cyclic quadrilateral can be circumscribed by a circle. Since these four points of the cyclic quadrilateral fall on the circle, the required equidistant point is the clearly the centre of the circle.

But just notice that the triangles O B P OBP and O A P OAP are right angled and since this right triangle also falls inside the circle with all its points on it, O P OP is its diameter since the diameter always subtends a right angle anywhere on the circle. Therefore, the centre M M is the midpoint of the diametric line O P OP , and can be found out using the midpoint formula:

( 3 + 9 2 , 5 + 11 2 ) = ( 6 , 8 ) (\frac{3+9}{2}, \frac{5+11}{2}) = \boxed{(6,8)} .

Hence, distance from the origin = 6 2 + 8 2 = 10 = \sqrt{6^2 + 8^2} = \boxed{10}

PS: Sorry for the bad quality of the picture, went through a hard time circumscribing the quadrilateral.

Aziz Alasha
Oct 1, 2016

Since the point is equidistant from all the points (VERICES) , THIS DISTANCE = R , THE RADIUS OF THE CIRCLE , i.e it will the mid-point of OP. So it's coordinates are (6,8). distance is √(6^2+8^2)=10.

I'm not sure I follow what you are saying, but I think I solved the same way?

We can see that triangles OBP and OAP are right triangles with angles A and B = 90. Therefore the equidistant point must fall at the midpoint of OP, in order to be equidistant from O and P; that midpoint is at (6,8).

Imagine a right triangle between the axes and with hypotenuse drawn from the origin to (6,8), one side is 6, one side is 8, making it a 6-8-10 triangle (3-4-5 pattern right triangle).

Tina Sobo - 4 years, 8 months ago
Archit Agrawal
Sep 30, 2016

The point which is equidistant from all the points will lie on perpendicular bisector of AB and OP. So it will the mid-point of OP. So it's coordinates are (6,8). Hence distance is √(6^2+8^2)=10.

The point which is equidistant from all the points will lie on perpendicular bisector of AB and OP.

Why will it lie on the perpendicular bisector of A B AB and O P OP ?

Arkajyoti Banerjee - 4 years, 8 months ago

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As it is equidistant from A and B so it will lie on perpendicular bisector of AB and similarly for OP.

Archit Agrawal - 4 years, 8 months ago

Okay, because AB and OP are chords of the circumcircle of the quadrilateral AOBP.

Arkajyoti Banerjee - 4 years, 8 months ago

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