Tangent Circles

Geometry Level 2

Two circles, each with radii 900, are tangent to each other and they are both tangent to a line. Find the radius of the circle which is tangent to both circles and also the line.


The answer is 225.

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19 solutions

Maharnab Mitra
Dec 29, 2013

Let the radius of smaller circle be R R image image 90 0 2 + ( 900 R ) 2 = ( 900 + R ) 2 R = 225 900^2+(900-R)^2=(900+R)^2 \implies R=225

wonderful ..how did u draw the figure?

Piyushkumar Palan - 7 years, 5 months ago

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Use p a i n t paint and upload it at this link .

Maharnab Mitra - 7 years, 5 months ago

Geogebra?

Fan Zhang - 7 years, 5 months ago

same solution here :3

Lutherdj Dumas - 7 years, 3 months ago

My triangle was different, because I used the bigger and not the smaller. So, It's wrong

Ewerton Xavier - 7 years, 5 months ago

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You got it right and somebody else used a different method. This does imply that the other method is wrong. Please be more kind before commenting.

Ahaan Rungta - 7 years, 5 months ago

Same method here! :)

Fan Zhang - 7 years, 5 months ago

did it exactly the same way..

Priyesh Pandey - 7 years, 5 months ago

Very good solution !

Devesh Rai - 7 years, 5 months ago

good solution

Chirag Kopp - 7 years, 4 months ago

wonderful

Umong Marma - 7 years, 4 months ago

4got this hehh

Mark Ian Avestano - 7 years, 4 months ago

nice figure it makes it easy to understand......

Kishan Ahir - 7 years, 4 months ago

fantastic figure

Manish Choudhary - 7 years, 4 months ago

Protip: Use difference of squares:

90 0 2 = ( 900 + R ) 2 ( 900 R ) 2 = ( 900 + R + 900 R ) ( 900 + R 900 + R ) = ( 1800 ) ( 2 R ) R = 225 900^2 = (900+R)^2-(900-R)^2 = (900+R+900-R)(900+R-900+R) = (1800)(2R) \implies R = \boxed{225} .

unfortunately i put 15 (took the square root for some reason), so I gave up :(

Sameer L. - 7 years, 4 months ago

mindblowing

Ravi Kumar - 7 years, 3 months ago

thanks

sawdhakhath mk - 7 years, 3 months ago

I used a relation between the tangents i.e tangent=√ r*R

Ayush Porwal - 7 years, 2 months ago

good

muhammad azam - 7 years, 2 months ago

It can be solved easily by using 1/sq. root(c)=1/sq. root(a) +1/sq. root(b)

Ujjawal Krishnam - 7 years, 2 months ago
Piyushkumar Palan
Dec 29, 2013

Let larger radius be R = 900 R =900 and smaller radius be r r .

Draw a line parallel to given line through center of smaller circle.

Draw a perpendicular on it from center of a larger circle.

We get a right angled triangle with sides, R , R r R, R-r and R + r R+r

By Pythagoras theorem, R 2 = ( R + r ) 2 ( R r ) 2 R = 4 r r = R / 4 = 900 / 4 = 225 R^2 = (R+r)^2 - (R-r)^2 \Rightarrow R = 4\cdot r \Rightarrow r = R / 4 = 900 / 4 = \boxed{225}

Why we cannot use R + r R+r in both situation?

Ewerton Xavier - 7 years, 5 months ago

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observe that, by symmetry, center of smaller circle will lie on vertical line through Point of contact of larger circles.

Thats why the triangle i am referring to will have base as R and not R + r.

Piyushkumar Palan - 7 years, 5 months ago

Apply to Ford Circle's formula for 2 tangent circles and 1 circle between 2 circles same as fig. Ford Circle

1 R m i d d l e = 1 R l e f t + 1 R r i g h t \frac{1}{\sqrt{R_{middle}}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{R_{left}}} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{R_{right}}}

R l e f t , r i g h t = 900 ; R_{left,right} = 900;

1 R m i d d l e = 1 900 + 1 900 \frac{1}{\sqrt{R_{middle}}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{900}} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{900}}

1 R m i d d l e = 2 30 = 1 15 \frac{1}{\sqrt{R_{middle}}} = \frac{2}{30} = \frac{1}{15}

Therefore: R m i d d l e = 1 5 2 = 225 R_{middle} = 15^{2} = \boxed{225}

seeing it for the first time.

Jayant Yadav - 7 years, 5 months ago

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I saw this formula by accident. XD

Samuraiwarm Tsunayoshi - 7 years, 5 months ago

Thanks for the link of Ford Circle. :)

Maharnab Mitra - 7 years, 5 months ago

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No problem ^__^

Samuraiwarm Tsunayoshi - 7 years, 5 months ago

that simple.. omg..

Eka Kurniawan - 7 years, 3 months ago
Milly Choochoo
Dec 31, 2013

Draw a line from the center of the right big circle (radius = 900) to the center of the small circle, then draw a line perfectly horizontal until you are right under the center of the big circle, and then go back to the center of the big circle. This is a right triangle. Let's call the radius of small circle r r .

What you can see is that the horizontal side is, in fact, 900 900 , the vertical side is 900 r 900 - r , and the hypotenuse is 900 + r 900 + r . Now that we have that, all we must do is use Pythagorean theorem ( a 2 + b 2 = c 2 a^2 + b^2 = c^2 ) and solve for r r , the radius of the small circle.

90 0 2 + ( 900 r ) 2 = ( 900 + r ) 2 900^2 + (900 - r)^2 = (900 + r)^2

90 0 2 + ( 90 0 2 1800 r + r 2 ) = 90 0 2 + 1800 r + r 2 900^2 + (900^2 - 1800r + r^2) = 900^2 + 1800r + r^2

90 0 2 = 3600 r 900^2 = 3600r

90 0 2 3600 = r = 225 \frac{900^2}{3600} = r = \boxed{225}

Hong Pin Chang
Dec 31, 2013

First we make some assumptions here

We can now draw out the trapezium as well as turning it into a triangle

Using Pythagoras Theorem

( 900 + X ) 2 (900+X)^{2} = 90 0 2 900^{2} + ( 900 X ) 2 (900-X)^{2}

X 2 X^{2} + 1800X + 810000 = 810000 + X 2 X^{2} - 1800X + 810000

3600X = 810000

X = 810000 3600 \frac{810000}{3600} = 225

Ahaan Rungta
Dec 31, 2013

We see, from the Pythagorean Theorem, that

( 900 ) 2 + ( 900 r ) 2 = ( 900 + r ) 2 r = 225 . (900)^2 + (900-r)^2 = (900+r)^2 \implies r = \boxed {225}.

Marcos Oliveira
Dec 29, 2013

r = raio da circunferência menor --------> r = ?

R = raio da circunferência maior ---------> R = 900

  • Resolvendo esta equação:

( R + r ) 2 (R+r)^{2} = ( R ) 2 (R)^{2} + ( R r ) 2 (R-r)^{2} --------> ( 900 + r ) 2 (900+r)^{2} = ( 900 ) 2 (900)^{2} + ( 900 r ) 2 (900-r)^{2}

r = 225 \boxed{225}

Vasant Barve
Jul 30, 2015

Solution is belo w

Si Khalid
Dec 27, 2014

x 2^2+(r 1-r 2)^2=(r 1+r_2)^2

for x_2, giving

x 2=2sqrt(r 1r_2).

x 3^2+(r 1-r 3)^2 = (r 1+r_3)^2

(x 3-x 2)^2+(r 2-r 3)^2 = (r 2+r 3)^2

for x 3 and r 3, giving

x 3 = (2r 1sqrt(r 2))/(sqrt(r 1)+sqrt(r_2))

r 3 = (r 1r 2)/((sqrt(r 1)+sqrt(r_2))^2).

The latter equation can be written in the form

1/(sqrt(r 3))=1/(sqrt(r 1))+1/(sqrt(r_2)).

It all depend upon the theorem of tangent to circle, two tangent meeting at a point have equal length. So we can solve by applying this principle, we will get r=900/4=225

Phil Santosa
Mar 23, 2014

In this specific formation : two touching congruent circles, with a smaller circle in between, that is tangent to both larger circles; the radius (r) of the smaller circle is always 1/4 of the radius (R) of the larger circles.

r = R/4 = 900/4 = 225

Julieta Ramos
Mar 19, 2014

From seeing the figure. The radius should be 1/4 of the 1st circle.

Muhammad Azam
Mar 19, 2014

diameter of small circle=900/2=450,
radii of small circle=450/2=225

Shriram Lokhande
Mar 10, 2014

Let k 1 k_1 be curvature of two big circles & k 2 k_2 be curvature of small circle. Here we can apply special case of descartes' theorem where one mutually tangent circle is a line & two circles are equal.

k 2 = k 1 + k 1 + 2 k 1 k 1 k_2 = k_1+ k_1 + 2 \sqrt{k_1 k_1}

k 2 = 1 900 + 1 900 + 2 1 900 1 900 k_2 = \frac{1}{900} + \frac{1}{900} + 2 \sqrt{ \frac {1}{900} \cdot \frac{1}{900}}

k 2 = 2 900 + 2 900 k_2 = \frac{2}{900} + \frac{2}{900}

k 2 = 1 225 k_2 = \frac{1}{225}

hence, the radius = 1 c u r v a t u r e \frac{1}{curvature} = 225 .

Ankit Musham
Feb 13, 2014

If you join the middle of the circle to the middle of the smaller circle of radius r, and then draw a triangle with one side being 900 and other from center of smaller circle to the point where 2 bigger circles touch, you will get a right angled triangle with sides 900, 900 - r and hypotenuse of 900 + r. Applying pythagorean theorem, you get (900+r)^2 = (900-r)^2 + 900^2. Solving this for r you get r = 225

Rishabh Gupta
Feb 12, 2014

2*(diameter of small circle)=(radius of bigger circle)/2

New York
Jan 31, 2014

use ford circle law 1/[sqrt{r}]radius of small circle=1/\sqrt{R}RADIUS OF LEFT CIRCLE+1/\sqrt{R'}RADIUS OF RIGHT CIRCLE

1/[sqrt{r}]=1/\sqrt{900}+1/\sqrt{900} 1/[sqrt{r}]=1/30+1/30

i think now you can do ur self.

Faraj Razem
Jan 7, 2014

Let the radius of the small circle = r ---> (900+r)^2 = 900^2 + (900-r)^2 solving ---> r = 225

Pulkit Kogta
Dec 30, 2013

in the following fig. name first and second circle wid centre as p and q.

centre of the smaller circle be O.

join O to q that would be r +R(radius of the smaller circle + radius of the bigger circle) likewise form a right angle triangle of sides, R+r,R, R-r inside the circle of centre q

so by Pythagoras theorem, r+R^{2} = R-r^{2} + R^{2} ......by this equation u will get r=225

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