MAHS-DV Geometry Q3

Adrienne Wooten

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AUTHOR
Adrienne Wooten
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Contents www.ck12.org

Contents

1 Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry 1

1.1 Right Triangles and Similarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Pythagorean Theorem and its Converse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 Applications Using the Pythagorean Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4 Special Right Triangles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.5 Sine, Cosine, Tangent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
1.6 Trigonometric Ratios with a Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
1.7 Inverse Trigonometric Ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1.8 Application Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2 Quadrilaterals 54
2.1 Parallelograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.2 Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.3 Quadrilaterals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2.4 Quadrilateral Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
2.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

3 Circles 85
3.1 Segments from Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
3.2 Arcs in Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
3.3 Chords in Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
3.4 Inscribed Angles in Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
3.5 Inscribed Polygons in Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
3.6 Segments from Secants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
3.7 Segments from Secants and Tangents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
3.8 Angles On and Inside a Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
3.9 Circles Similarity & Arc Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
3.10 Area of Sectors and Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3.11 Writing and Graphing the Equations of Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

C HAPTER
1 Right Triangle
Relationships and Trigonometry
Chapter Outline
1.1 R IGHT T RIANGLES AND S IMILARITY
1.2 P YTHAGOREAN T HEOREM AND ITS C ONVERSE
1.3 A PPLICATIONS U SING THE P YTHAGOREAN T HEOREM
1.4 S PECIAL R IGHT T RIANGLES
1.5 S INE , C OSINE , TANGENT
1.6 T RIGONOMETRIC R ATIOS WITH A C ALCULATOR
1.7 I NVERSE T RIGONOMETRIC R ATIOS
1.8 A PPLICATION P ROBLEMS

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1.1. Right Triangles and Similarity www.ck12.org

1.1 Right Triangles and Similarity

Here you’ll learn the Inscribed Similar Triangles Theorem that states that a line drawn from the right angle of a right
triangle perpendicular to the opposite side of the triangle creates similar triangles. You’ll then use this fact to find
missing lengths in right triangles.
Are all right triangles similar? Are there any short cuts to find missing measures when you have two similar right
triangles? We will build on our knowledge of Inscribed Similar Triangles from the previous chapter. For a quick
review, watch the video below.

Watch This

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Inscribed Similar Triangles

Guidance

Remember that if two objects are similar, their corresponding angles are congruent and their sides are proportional
in length. The altitude of a right triangle creates similar triangles. Recall the following theorem from the previous
chapter.
Inscribed Similar Triangles Theorem: If an altitude is drawn from the right angle of any right triangle, then the
two triangles formed are similar to the original triangle and all three triangles are similar to each other.
In 4ADB, m6 A = 90◦ and AC⊥DB:

So, 4ADB ∼ 4CDA ∼ 4CAB:

This means that all of the corresponding sides are proportional. You can use this fact to find missing lengths in right
triangles.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Example A

Find the value of x.

Separate the triangles to find the corresponding sides.

Set up a proportion.

shorter leg in 4EDG hypotenuse in 4EDG

=
shorter leg in 4DFG hypotenuse in 4DFG
6 10
=
x 8
48 = 10x
4.8 = x

Example B

Find the value of x.

Set up a proportion.

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1.1. Right Triangles and Similarity www.ck12.org

shorter leg o f smallest 4 longer leg o f smallest 4

=
shorter leg o f middle 4 longer leg o f middle 4
9 x
=
x 27
x2 = 243
√ √
x = 243 = 9 3

Geometric Mean

a
The geometric mean of any positive numbers a and b is the positive number x such that x = bx .
For example, what is the geometric mean of 8 and 2?
8 x
x = 2 Definition of geometric mean
x2 = 16 Cross Products Property
x=4 Per the definition of a geometric mean, we take the positive root
So 4 is the geometric mean of 8 and 2.
What does this have to do with similar right triangles? The altitude of inscribed right triangle is a geometric mean. If
you refer back to Example B, x is also the geometric mean. We can find x with the following proportion:
27 x 9 x
x = 9 Definition of geometric mean (Note that x = 27 would yield the same answer)
x2 = 243 Cross Products Property
√
x = 243
For additional information, click here.
The relationship between the two sides that was just discussed is a corollary to the Inscribed Similar Triangles
Theorem (see Corollary 1 below). The geometric mean can also be used to find a leg or hypotenuse. This is
represented by Corollary 2 below. Consider the diagram below as you look at the corollaries.

FIGURE 1.1

Corollary 1 Corollary 2

s1 a h l1 h l2
a = s2 l1 = s 1 , l2 = s2
For an example using both corollaries, see Example C below.
Example C
What are the values of x and y in Figure 1.2?
Use Corollary 2:
6+10 x
x = 6 Write a proportion.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

FIGURE 1.2

x2 = 96 Cross Products Property

√
x = 96 Take the positive root.
Use Corollary 1:
6 y
y = 10 Write a proportion.
y2 = 60 Cross Products Property
√
y = 60 Take the positive root.
Now you have multiple strategies to solve for missing sides of inscribed right triangles: setting up proportions with
corresponding sides or using the corollaries.
So are all right triangles similar?
Click here to watch a short video that will help you answer the question. In addition, it will give you a sneak preview
of a few trigonometric ratios which will discuss later in the chapter.

Guided Practice

1. Find the value of x.

2. Now find the value of y in 4RST above.

Answers:
1. Set up a proportion using corollary 2:

20 x
=
x 4
2
x = 80
√
x = 80

2. Use the Pythagorean Theorem.

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1.1. Right Triangles and Similarity www.ck12.org

 √ 2
y2 + 4 5 = 202
y2 + 80 = 400
y2 = 320
√ √
y = 320 = 8 5

Practice

Fill in the blanks.

1. Which segment in the figure is the altitude?

2. The altitude of an inscribed right triangle is also a __________ _________.
?
3. Using the geometric mean, fill in the following: BC ? = CD
? AB
4. Using Corollary 2, fill in the following: AB = ?
5. Solve for x and y (Figure 1.3).

FIGURE 1.3

6. Solve for x and y (Figure 1.4).

FIGURE 1.4

7. Find the value of x (Figure 1.5).

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

FIGURE 1.5

FIGURE 1.6

8. Find the value of x (Figure 1.6).

9. CD is the altitude to the hypotenuse of right ∆ABC. The coordinates of A, D, and B are (3, 2), (3, 6), and (3,
15), respectively. Find all possible coordinates of C.
10. Are all right triangles similar? Explain.

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1.2. Pythagorean Theorem and its Converse www.ck12.org

1.2 Pythagorean Theorem and its Converse

Here you’ll discover, prove and apply the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for unknown sides in right triangles and
prove triangles are right triangles.
Mr. Aubel wants to rope off half of his rectangular garden plot to keep the deer out. He will run the rope around
the outside of the garden and diagonally down the center to form a right triangle. The garden measures 5 yards by 8
yards. How many full yards of rope does Mr. Aubel need?

Guidance

The Pythagorean Theorem refers to the relationship between the lengths of the three sides in a right triangle. It states
that if a and b are the legs of the right triangle and c is the hypotenuse, then a2 + b2 = c2 . For example, the lengths
3, 4, and 5 are the sides of a right triangle because 32 + 42 = 52 (9 + 16 = 25). Keep in mind that c is always the
longest side.

The converse of this statement is also true. If, in a triangle, c is the length of the longest side and the shorter sides
have lengths a and b, and a2 + b2 = c2 , then the triangle is a right triangle.
Proof of Pythagorean Theorem
There are many proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem and here is one of them. We will be using the concept that the
area of a figure is equal to the sum of the areas of the smaller figures contained within it and algebra to derive the
Pythagorean Theorem.
Using the figure below (a square with a smaller square inside), first write two equations for its area, one using the
lengths of the sides of the outer square and one using the sum of the areas of the smaller square and the four triangles.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Area 1: (a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2

Area 2: c2 + 4 21 ab = c2 + 2ab

Now, equate the two areas and simplify:

a2 + 2ab + b2 = c2 + 2ab
a2 + b2 = c2

Example A

In a right triangle a = 7 and c = 25, find the length of the third side.
Solution: We can start by substituting what we know into the Pythagorean Theorem and then solve for the unknown
side, b:

72 + b2 = 252
49 + b2 = 625
b2 = 576
b = 24

Example B

Find the length of the third side of the triangle below. Leave your answer in reduced radical form.

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1.2. Pythagorean Theorem and its Converse www.ck12.org

Solution: Since we are given the lengths of the two legs, we can plug them into the Pythagorean Theorem and find
the length of the hypotenuse.

82 + 122 = c2
64 + 144 = c2
c2 = 208
√ √ √
c = 208 = 16 · 13 = 4 13

Example C

Determine whether a triangle with lengths 21, 28, 35 is a right triangle.

Solution: We need to see if these values will satisfy a2 + b2 = c2 . If they do, then a right triangle is formed. So,

212 + 282 = 441 + 784 = 1225

352 = 1225

Yes, the Pythagorean Theorem is satisfied by these lengths and a right triangle is formed by the lengths 21, 28 and
35.
Concept Problem Revisit
We are looking for the perimeter of the triangle. We are given the lengths of the sides so we need to find the
hypotenuse.
Let’s use the Pythagorean Theorem.

52 + 82 = c2
25 + 64 = c2
89 = c2
√
c = 89

Now to find the perimeter of the triangle, add the lengths of the three sides.
√
5 + 8 + 89 = 22.43
Therefore, Mr. Aubel will need 23 yards of rope.

Guided Practice

For the given two sides, determine the length of the third side if the triangle is a right triangle.
1. a = 10 and b = 5
2. a = 5 and c = 13
Use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine if a right triangle is formed by the given lengths.
3. 16, 30, 34
4. 9, 40, 42
5. 2, 2, 4

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Answers
p √ √ √
1. 102 + 52 = 100 + 25 = 125 = 5 5
p √ √
2. 132 − 52 = 169 − 25 = 144 = 12
3.

162 + 302 = 256 + 900 = 1156

342 = 1156

Yes, this is a right triangle.

4.

92 + 402 = 81 + 1600 = 1681

422 = 1764

No, this is not a right triangle.

5. This one is tricky, in a triangle the lengths of any two sides must have a sum greater than the length of the third
side. These lengths do not meet that requirement so not only do they not form a right triangle, they do not make a
triangle at all.

Vocabulary

The Pythagorean Theorem

If a and b are the legs of the right triangle and c is the hypotenuse, then a2 + b2 = c2 .

Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem

If c is the length of the longest side in a triangle and the shorter sides have lengths a and b, and a2 + b2 = c2 ,
then the triangle is a right triangle.

Pratice

Find the unknown side length for each right triangle below.

1.

2.

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1.2. Pythagorean Theorem and its Converse www.ck12.org

3.
4. a = 6, b = 8
5. b = 6, c = 14
6. a = 12, c = 18

Determine whether the following triangles are right triangles.

7.

8.

9.

Do the lengths below form a right triangle? Remember to make sure that they form a triangle.

10. 3, 4, 5
11. 6, 6, 11
12. 11, 13, 17

Major General James A. Garfield (and former President of the U.S.) is credited with deriving this proof of the
Pythagorean Theorem using a trapezoid. Follow the steps to recreate his proof.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

13. Find the area of the trapezoid using the trapezoid area formula: A = 21 (b1 + b2 )h
14. Find the sum of the areas of the three right triangles in the diagram.
15. The areas found in the previous two problems should be the same value. Set the expressions equal to each
other and simplify to get the Pythagorean Theorem.

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1.3. Applications Using the Pythagorean Theorem www.ck12.org

1.3 Applications Using the Pythagorean Theo-

rem
Here you’ll learn how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse to solve real-world problems.
What if a fireman needed to rescue a cat from a tree? The cat is 40 feet up from the ground. The fireman places a
ladder 30 feet away from the base of the tree? How tall does the ladder need to be for him to reach the cat? After
completing this Concept, you’ll be able to solve real-world applications like this one using the Pythagorean Theorem
and its converse.

Guidance

The Pythagorean Theorem and its converse have many applications for finding lengths and distances.

Example A

Maria has a rectangular cookie sheet that measures 10 inches × 14 inches. Find the length of the diagonal of the
cookie sheet.
Solution
Draw a sketch:

Define variables: Let c = length of the diagonal.

Write a formula: Use the Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2
Solve the equation:

102 + 142 = c2
100 + 196 = c2
√ √
c2 = 296 ⇒ c = 296 ⇒ c = 2 74 or c = 17.2 inches

Check: 102 + 142 = 100 + 196 = 296 and c2 = 17.22 = 296. The solution checks out.

Example B

Find the area of the shaded region in the following diagram:

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Solution
Draw the diagonal of the square in the figure:

Notice that the diagonal of the square is also the diameter of the circle.
Define variables: Let c = diameter of the circle.
Write the formula: Use the Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2 .
Solve the equation:

22 + 22 = c2
4 + 4 = c2
√ √
c2 = 8 ⇒ c = 8⇒c=2 2

√ √
The diameter of the circle is 2 2, therefore the radius R = 2.
 √ 2
Area of a circle formula: A = π · R2 = π 2 = 2π.
The area of the shaded region is therefore 2π − 4 = 2.28.

Example C

In a right triangle, one leg is twice as long as the other and the perimeter is 28. What are the measures of the sides
of the triangle?
Solution
Make a sketch and define variables:

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1.3. Applications Using the Pythagorean Theorem www.ck12.org

Let: a = length of the short leg

2a = length of the long leg
c = length of the hypotenuse
Write formulas:
The sides of the triangle are related in two different ways.
The perimeter is 28, so a + 2a + c = 28 ⇒ 3a + c = 28
The triangle is a right triangle, so the measures of the sides must satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem:

a2 + (2a)2 = c2 ⇒ a2 + 4a2 = c2 ⇒ 5a2 = c2

√
or c = a 5 = 2.236a

Solve the equation:

Plug the value of c we just obtained into the perimeter equation: 3a + c = 28

3a + 2.236a = 28 ⇒ 5.236a = 28 ⇒ a = 5.35

The short leg is: a = 5.35

The long leg is: 2a = 10.70
The hypotenuse is: c = 11.95
Check: The legs of the triangle should satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem:
a2 + b2 = 5.352 + 10.702 = 143.1, c2 = 11.952 = 142.80. The results are approximately the same.
The perimeter of the triangle should be 28:
a + b + c = 5.35 + 10.70 + 11.95 = 28.The answer checks out.
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Applications Using the Pythagorean Theorem

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Vocabulary

• The Pythagorean Theorem is a statement of how the lengths of the sides of a right triangle are related to each
other. A right triangle is one that contains a 90 degree angle. The side of the triangle opposite the 90 degree
angle is called the hypotenuse and the sides of the triangle adjacent to the 90 degree angle are called the legs.

• If we let a and b represent the legs of the right triangle and c represent the hypotenuse then the Pythagorean
Theorem can be stated as:

In a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the
legs. That is: a2 + b2 = c2 .

Guided Practice

Mike is loading a moving van by walking up a ramp. The ramp is 10 feet long and the bed of the van is 2.5 feet
above the ground. How far does the ramp extend past the back of the van?
Solution
Make a sketch:

Define variables: Let x = how far the ramp extends past the back of the van.
Write a formula: Use the Pythagorean Theorem: x2 + 2.52 = 102
Solve the equation:

x2 + 6.25 = 100
x2 = 93.5
√
x = 93.5 = 9.7 f t

Check by plugging the result in the Pythagorean Theorem:

9.72 + 2.52 = 94.09 + 6.25 = 100.34 ≈ 100. So the ramp is 10 feet long. The answer checks out.

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1.3. Applications Using the Pythagorean Theorem www.ck12.org

Practice

1. In order to make a ramp that is 3 f t high and covers 4 f t of ground, how long must the ramp be?
2. A regulation baseball diamond is a square with 90 feet between bases. How far is second base from home
plate?
3. Emanuel has a cardboard box that measures 20 cm long × 10 cm wide × 8 cm deep.
a. What is the length of the diagonal across the bottom of the box?
b. What is the length of the diagonal from a bottom corner to the opposite top corner?
4. Samuel places a ladder against his house. The base of the ladder is 6 feet from the house and the ladder is 10
feet long.
a. How high above the ground does the ladder touch the wall of the house?
b. If the edge of the roof is 10 feet off the ground and sticks out 1.5 feet beyond the wall, how far is it from
the edge of the roof to the top of the ladder?
1
5. Find the area of the triangle below if the area of a triangle is defined as A = 2 base × height:

6. Instead of walking along the two sides of a rectangular field, Mario decided to cut across the diagonal. He
thus saves a distance that is half of the long side of the field.
a. Find the length of the long side of the field given that the short side is 123 feet.
b. Find the length of the diagonal.
7. Marcus sails due north and Sandra sails due east from the same starting point. In two hours Marcus’ boat is
35 miles from the starting point and Sandra’s boat is 28 miles from the starting point.
a. How far are the boats from each other?
b. Sandra then sails 21 miles due north while Marcus stays put. How far is Sandra from the original starting
point?
c. How far is Sandra from Marcus now?
8. Determine the area of the circle below. (Hint: the hypotenuse of the triangle is the diameter of the circle.)

9. A rectangle’s length is 1in longer than its width and if the diagonal has a length of 29in, what are the lengths
of the sides of the rectangle?
10. For an isosceles triangle with sides of the length given, find the length of hypotenuse:
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. n

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

1.4 Special Right Triangles

Learning Objectives

• Identify and use the ratios involved with isosceles right triangles.
• Identify and use the ratios involved with 30-60-90 triangles.

Review Queue

Find the value of the missing variable(s). Simplify all radicals.

a.

b.

√ c.
d. Do the lengths 6, 6,√and 6 2 make a right triangle?
e. Do the lengths 3, 3 3, and 6 make a right triangle?

Know What? The Great Giza Pyramid is a pyramid with a square base and four isosceles triangles that meet at a
point. It is thought that the original height was 146.5 meters and the base edges were 230 meters.
First, find the length of the edge of the isosceles triangles. Then, determine if the isosceles triangles are also
equilateral triangles. Round your answers to the nearest tenth.
You can assume that the height of the pyramid is from the center of the square base and is a vertical line.

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1.4. Special Right Triangles www.ck12.org

Isosceles Right Triangles

There are two types of special right triangles, based on their angle measures. The first is an isosceles right triangle.
Here, the legs are congruent and, by the Base Angles Theorem, the base angles will also be congruent. Therefore,
the angle measures will be 90◦ , 45◦ , and 45◦ . You will also hear an isosceles right triangle called a 45-45-90 triangle.
Because the three angles are always the same, all isosceles right triangles are similar.

Investigation 8-2: Properties of an Isosceles Right Triangle

Tools Needed: Pencil, paper, compass, ruler, protractor

a. Construct an isosceles right triangle with 2 in legs. Use the SAS construction that you learned in Chapter 4.

b. Find the measure of the hypotenuse. What is it? Simplify the radical.
c. Now, let’s say the legs are of length x and the hypotenuse is h. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the
hypotenuse. What is it? How is this similar to your answer in #2?

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

x 2 + x 2 = h2
2x2 = h2
√
x 2=h

√
45-45-90 Corollary: If a triangle is an isosceles right triangle, then its sides are in the extended ratio x : x : x 2.
Step 3 in the above investigation proves the 45-45-90 Triangle Theorem. So, anytime√you have a right triangle with
congruent
√ legs or congruent angles, then the sides will always be in the ratio x : x : x 2. The hypotenuse is always
x 2 because that is the longest length. This is a specific case of the Pythagorean Theorem, so it will still work, if
for some reason you forget this corollary.
Example 1: Find the length of the missing sides.
a)

b)

√
Solution: Use the x : x : x 2 ratio.
√
a) TV = 6 because it is equal to ST . So, SV = 6 2 .
√ √ √
b) AB = 9 2 because it is equal to AC. So, BC = 9 2 · 2 = 9 · 2 = 18.
Example 2: Find the length of x.
a)

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1.4. Special Right Triangles www.ck12.org

b)

√
Solution: Again, use the x : x : x 2 ratio, but in these two we are given the hypotenuse. We need to solve for x in
the ratio.
√ √
a) 12 2 = x 2
12 = x
√
b) x 2 = √ 16 √ √
x= √ · √ = 2 2 =8 2
16 2 16
2 2
In part b, we rationalized the denominator. Whenever there is a radical in the denominator of a fraction, multiply
the top and bottom by that radical. This will cancel out the radical from the denominator and reduce the fraction.

30-60-90 Triangles

The second special right triangle is called a 30-60-90 triangle, after the three angles. To construct a 30-60-90 triangle,
start with an equilateral triangle.
Investigation 8-3: Properties of a 30-60-90 Triangle
Tools Needed: Pencil, paper, ruler, compass
1. Construct an equilateral triangle with 2 in sides.

2. Draw or construct the altitude from the top vertex to the base for two congruent triangles.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

3. Find the measure of the two angles at the top vertex and the length of the shorter leg.

The top angles are each 30◦ and the shorter leg is 1 in because the altitude of an equilateral triangle is also the
angle and perpendicular bisector.
4. Find the length of the longer leg, using the Pythagorean Theorem. Simplify the radical.
5. Now, let’s say the shorter leg is length x and the hypotenuse is 2x. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the longer
leg. What is it? How is this similar to your answer in #4?

x2 + b2 = (2x)2
x2 + b2 = 4x2
b2 = 3x2
√
b=x 3
√
30-60-90 Corollary: If a triangle is a 30-60-90 triangle, then its sides are in the extended ratio x : x 3 : 2x.
Step 5 in√the above investigation proves the 30-60-90 Corollary. The shortest leg is always x, the longest leg is
always x 3, and the hypotenuse is always 2x. If you ever forget this corollary, then you can still use the Pythagorean
Theorem.
Example 3: Find the length of the missing sides.
a)

b)

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1.4. Special Right Triangles www.ck12.org

Solution: In part a, we are given the shortest leg and in part b, we are given the hypotenuse.
√
a) If x = 5, then the longer leg, b = 5 3, and the hypotenuse, c = 2(5) = 10.
√
b) Now, 2x = 20, so the shorter leg, f = 10, and the longer leg, g = 10 3.
Example 4: Find the value of x and y.
a)

b)

Solution: In part a, we are given the longer leg and in part b, we are given the hypotenuse.
√
a) x 3 = √ 12 √ √
x= √ · √ = 3 3 =4 3
12 3 12
3 3
Then,the hypotenuse would be
√  √
y=2 4 3 =8 3
√
b) 2x =√15 6
x = 15 2 6
The,the √longer
 leg would√be √
15 6
√ 15 18 45 2
y= 2 · 3= 2 = 2

Example 5: Find the measure of x.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Solution: Think of this trapezoid as a rectangle, between a 45-45-90 triangle and a 30-60-90 triangle.

From this picture, x = a + b + c. First, find a, which is a leg of an isosceles right triangle.

√ √
24 2 24 2 √
a= √ · √ = = 12 2
2 2 2

a = d, so we can use this to find c, which is the shorter leg of a 30-60-90 triangle.

√ √ √
12 2 3 12 6 √
c= √ · √ = =4 6
3 3 3
√ √
b = 20, so x = 12 2 + 20 + 4 6. Nothing simplifies, so this is how we leave our answer.
Know What? Revisited The line that the vertical height is perpendicular to is the diagonal of the square base. This
length (blue) is the same as the hypotenuse
√ of an isosceles right triangle because half of a square is an isosceles right
√
triangle.
√ So, the diagonal is 230 2. Therefore, the base of the right triangle with 146.5 as the leg is half of 230 2
or 115 2. Do the Pythagorean Theorem to find the edge.

r
√ 2
edge = 115 2 + 146.52 ≈ 218.9 m

In order for the sides to be equilateral triangles, this length should be 230 meters. It is not, so the triangles are
isosceles.

Review Questions

1. In an isosceles right triangle, if a leg is x, then the hypotenuse is __________.

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1.4. Special Right Triangles www.ck12.org

2. In a 30-60-90 triangle, if the shorter leg is x, then the longer leg is __________ and the hypotenuse is _____-
______.
3. A square has sides of length 15. What is the length of the diagonal?
4. A square’s diagonal is 22. What is the length
√ of each side?
5. A rectangle has sides of length 4 and 4 3. What is the length of the diagonal?
6. A baseball diamond is a square with 90 foot sides. What is the distance from home base to second base?
(HINT: It’s the length of the diagonal).

For questions 7-18, find the lengths of the missing sides.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

√ √ √18.
19. Do the lengths 8 √2, 8 √6, and 16
√ 2 make a special right triangle? If so, which one?
20. Do the lengths 4 3, 4 6 and 8 3 make a special right triangle? If so, which one?
21. Find the measure of x.

22. Find the measure of y.

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1.4. Special Right Triangles www.ck12.org

23. What is the ratio of the sides of a rectangle if the diagonal divides the rectangle into two 30-60-90 triangles?
24. What is the length of the sides of a square with diagonal 8 in?

For questions 25-28, it might be helpful to recall #25 from section 8.1.

25. What is the height of an equilateral triangle with sides of length 3 in?
26. What is the area of an equilateral triangle with sides of length 5 ft?
27. A regular hexagon has sides of length 3 in. What is the area of the hexagon? (Hint: the hexagon is made up a
6 equilateral triangles.) √
28. The area of an equilateral triangle is 36 3. What is the length of a side?
29. If a road has a grade of 30◦ , this means that its angle of elevation is 30◦ . If you travel 1.5 miles on this road,
how much elevation have you gained in feet (5280 ft = 1 mile)?
30. Four isosceles triangles are formed when both diagonals are drawn in a square. If the length of each side in
the square is s, what are the lengths of the legs of the isosceles triangles?

Review Queue Answers

a. 42 + 42 = x2
32 = x2√
x=4 2  √ 2
b. 32 + z2 = 62 3 3 + 92 = y2
z2 = 27√ 108 = y2√
z=3 3 y=6 3
c. x2 + x2 = 102
2x2 = 100
x2 = 50√
x = 5 2
√ 2
d. Yes,62 + 62= 6 2 → 36 + 36 = 72
 √ 2
e. Yes, 32 + 3 3 = 62 → 9 + 27 = 36

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

1.5 Sine, Cosine, Tangent

Here you’ll learn what the three trigonometric ratios are and how to find their value for a right triangle’s non-right
angle.
What if you were given a right triangle and told that its sides measure 3, 4, and 5 inches? How could you find the
sine, cosine, and tangent of one of the triangle’s non-right angles? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to
solve for these trigonometric ratios.

Watch This

MEDIA
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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter8SoneCosineTangentA

Watch the parts of the video dealing with the sine, cosine, and tangent.

MEDIA
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James Sousa: Introduction to Trigonometric Functions Using Triangles

Guidance

The word trigonometry comes from two words meaning triangle and measure. In this lesson we will define three
trigonometric (or trig) functions.
Trigonometry: The study of the relationships between the sides and angles of right triangles.
In trigonometry, sides are named in reference to a particular angle. The hypotenuse of a triangle is always the same,
but the terms adjacent and opposite depend on which angle you are referencing. A side adjacent to an angle is the
leg of the triangle that helps form the angle. A side opposite to an angle is the leg of the triangle that does not help
form the angle. We never reference the right angle when referring to trig ratios.

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1.5. Sine, Cosine, Tangent www.ck12.org

The three basic trig ratios are called, sine, cosine and tangent. At this point, we will only take the sine, cosine and
tangent of acute angles. However, you will learn that you can use these ratios with obtuse angles as well.
To explore the relationship between the unit circle, the Pythagorean Theorem, and the trigonometric ratios, click he
re.
Sine Ratio: For an acute angle x in a right triangle, the sin x is equal to the ratio of the side opposite the angle over
the hypotenuse of the triangle. Using the triangle above, sin A = ac and sin B = bc .
Cosine Ratio: For an acute angle x in a right triangle, the cos x is equal to the ratio of the side adjacent to the angle
over the hypotenuse of the triangle.Using the triangle above, cos A = bc and cos B = ac .
Tangent Ratio: For an acute angle x, in a right triangle, the tan x is equal to the ratio of the side opposite to the angle
over the side adjacent to x. Using the triangle above, tan A = ab and tan B = ba .
There are a few important things to note about the way we write these ratios. First, keep in mind that the abbreviations
sin x, cos x, and tan x are all functions. Second, be careful when using the abbreviations that you still pronounce the
full name of each function. When we write sin x it is still pronounced sine, with a long “i”. When we write cos x,
we still say co-sine. And when we write tan x, we still say tangent. An easy way to remember ratios is to use the
pneumonic SOH-CAH-TOA.

A few important points:

• Always reduce ratios when you can.

• Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing side (if there is one).
• The tangent ratio can be bigger than 1 (the other two cannot).
• If two right triangles are similar, then their sine, cosine, and tangent ratios will be the same (because they will
reduce to the same ratio).
• If there is a radical in the denominator, rationalize the denominator.
• The sine, cosine and tangent for an angle are fixed.

Example A

Find the sine, cosine and tangent ratios of 6 A.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

First, we need to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the hypotenuse.

52 + 122 = h2
13 = h

12 5 12
So, sin A = 13 , cos A = 13 , and tan A = 5 .

Example B

Find the sine, cosine, and tangent of 6 B.

Find the length of the missing side.

AC2 + 52 = 152
AC2 = 200
√
AC = 10 2

√ √ √
Therefore, sin B = 10 2 = 2 2 , cos B = 5
= 13 , and tan B = 10 2 = 2 √2.
15 3 15 5

Example C

Find the sine, cosine and tangent of 30◦ .

√
This is a special right triangle, a 30-60-90 triangle. So, if the short leg is 6, then the long leg is 6 3 and the
hypotenuse is 12.
√ √ √ √
sin 30◦ = 12
6
= 12 , cos 30◦ = 6 12 3 = 2 3 , and tan 30◦ = √
6
= √1 · √3 = 3 3 .
6 3 3 3
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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1.5. Sine, Cosine, Tangent www.ck12.org

MEDIA
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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter8SineCosineTangentB

Concept Problem Revisited

The trigonometric ratios for the non-right angles in the triangle above are:
sin A = 54 , cos A = 35 , tan A = 34 , sin B = 53 , cos B = 54 , and tan B = 34 .

Vocabulary

Trigonometry is the study of the relationships between the sides and angles of right triangles. The legs are called
adjacent or opposite depending on which acute angle is being used. The three trigonometric (or trig) ratios are sine,
cosine, and tangent.

Guided Practice

Answer the questions about the following image. Reduce all fractions.

1. What is sin A?
2. What is cos A?
3. What is tan A?
Answers:
16 4
1. sin A = 20 = 5

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

12 3
2. cos A = 20 = 5
16 4
3. tan A = 12 = 3

Practice

Use the diagram to fill in the blanks below.

1. tan D = ??
2. sin F = ??
3. tan F = ??
4. cos F = ??
5. sin D = ??
6. cos D = ??

From questions 1-6, we can conclude the following. Fill in the blanks.

7. cos = sin F and sin = cos F.

8. tan D and tan F are _________ of each other.

Find the sine, cosine and tangent of 6 A. Reduce all fractions and radicals.

9.

10.

11.

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1.5. Sine, Cosine, Tangent www.ck12.org

12.

13.
14. Explain why the sine of an angle will never be greater than 1.
15. Explain why the tangent of a 45◦ angle will always be 1.
16. As the degree of an angle increases, will the tangent of the angle increase or decrease? Explain.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

1.6 Trigonometric Ratios with a Calculator

Here you’ll learn how to solve for missing sides in right triangles that are not one of the special right triangles.
What if you wanted to find the missing sides of a right triangle with angles of 20◦ and 70◦ and a hypotenuse length
of 10 inches? How could you use trigonometry to help you? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to solve
problems like this one.

Watch This

MEDIA
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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter8TrigonometricRatioswithaCalculatorA

MEDIA
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James Sousa: Determining Trigonometric Function Values on the Calculator

Guidance

The trigonometric ratios are not dependent on the exact side lengths, but the angles. There is one fixed value for
every angle, from 0◦ to 90◦ . Your scientific (or graphing) calculator knows the values of the sine, cosine and tangent
of all of these angles. Depending on your calculator, you should have [SIN], [COS], and [TAN] buttons. Use these
to find the sine, cosine, and tangent of any acute angle. One application of the trigonometric ratios is to use them to
find the missing sides of a right triangle. All you need is one angle, other than the right angle, and one side.

Example A

Find the trigonometric value, using your calculator. Round to 4 decimal places.
a) sin 78◦
b) cos 60◦
c) tan 15◦
Depending on your calculator, you enter the degree and then press the trig button or the other way around. Also,
make sure the mode of your calculator is in DEGREES.

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1.6. Trigonometric Ratios with a Calculator www.ck12.org

a) sin 78◦ = 0.97815

b) cos 60◦ = 0.5
c) tan 15◦ = 0.26795

Example B

Find the value of each variable. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

We are given the hypotenuse. Use sine to find b, and cosine to find a. Use your calculator to evaluate the sine and
cosine of the angles.

b a
sin 22◦ = cos 22◦ =
30 30
30 · sin 22◦ = b 30 · cos 22◦ = a
b ≈ 11.2 a ≈ 27.8

Example C

Find the value of each variable. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

We are given the adjacent leg to 42◦ . To find c, use cosine and use tangent to find d.

ad jacent 9 opposite d
cos 42◦ = = tan 42◦ = =
hypotenuse c ad jacent 9
c · cos 42◦ = 9 ◦
9 · tan 42 = d
9
c= ≈ 12.1 d ≈ 27.0
cos 42◦

Any time you use trigonometric ratios, use only the information that you are given. This will result in the most
accurate answers.
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Chapter8TrigonometricRatioswithaCalculatorB

Concept Problem Revisited

Use trigonometric ratios to find the missing sides. Round to the nearest tenth.

Find the length of a and b using sine or cosine ratios:

a a
cos 20◦ = sin 70◦ =
10 10
10 · cos 20◦ = a 10 · sin 70◦ = a
a ≈ 9.4 a ≈ 9.4

b b
sin 20◦ = cos 70◦ =
10 10
10 · sin 20◦ = b 10 · cos 70◦ = b
b ≈ 3.4 b ≈ 3.4

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1.6. Trigonometric Ratios with a Calculator www.ck12.org

What do you notice about the relationship between sine and cosine of complementary angles? When dealing with a
pair of complementary angles, the sine of one angle is equal to the cosine of the other angle. If the 10 cos 20◦ ≈ 9.4
then you can compute 10 sin 20◦ ≈ 9.4 without your calculator because 20° and 70° are complementary angles.
Click on the following links for more information on how to use this special relationship:
Video One Video Two

Vocabulary

Trigonometry is the study of the relationships between the sides and angles of right triangles. The legs are called
adjacent or opposite depending on which acute angle is being used. The three trigonometric (or trig) ratios are sine,
cosine, and tangent.

Guided Practice

1. What is tan 45◦ ?

2. Find the length of the missing sides and round your answers to the nearest tenth:

.
3. Find the length of the missing sides and round your answers to the nearest tenth:

.
Answers:
1. Using your calculator, you should find that tan 45◦ = 1?
2. Use tangent for x and cosine for y.

x 11
tan 28◦ = cos 28◦ =
11 y
11
11 · tan 28◦ = x =y
cos 28◦
x ≈ 5.8 y ≈ 12.5

3. Use tangent for y and cosine for x.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

y 16
tan 40◦ = cos 40◦ =
16 x
16
16 · tan 40◦ = y =x
cos 40◦
y ≈ 13.4 x ≈ 20.9

Practice

Use your calculator to find the value of each trig function below. Round to four decimal places.

1. sin 24◦
2. cos 45◦
3. tan 88◦
4. sin 43◦
5. tan 12◦
6. cos 79◦
7. sin 82◦

Find the length of the missing sides. Round your answers to the nearest tenth.

8.

9.

10.

11.
12. Find x. sin 35◦
= cos x◦
13. Find x. cos 0◦ = sin x◦
14. Solve for the unknown. sin(x − 10◦ ) = cos(35◦ )
15. Simplify but don’t solve. sin 60◦ + cos 30◦

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1.6. Trigonometric Ratios with a Calculator www.ck12.org

16. Find sin 80◦ and cos 10◦ .

17. Use your knowledge of where the trigonometric ratios come from to explain your result to the previous
question.
18. Generalize your result to the previous two questions. If sin θ = x, then cos? = x.
19. Find m if sin(8m) = cos(4m − 6)
20. Find m if sin(10m − 2) = cos(5m + 2).

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

1.7 Inverse Trigonometric Ratios

Learning Objectives

• Use the inverse trigonometric ratios to find an angle in a right triangle.

• Solve a right triangle.
• Apply inverse trigonometric ratios to real-life situation and special right triangles.

Review Queue

Find the lengths of the missing sides. Round your answer to the nearest hundredth.

a.

b.
c. Draw an isosceles right triangle with legs of length 3. What is the hypotenuse?
d. Use the triangle from #3, to find the sine, cosine, and tangent of 45◦ .
e. Explain why tan 45◦ = 1.

Know What? The longest escalator in North America is at the Wheaton Metro Station in Maryland. It is 230 feet
long and is 115 ft high. What is the angle of elevation, x◦ , of this escalator?

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1.7. Inverse Trigonometric Ratios www.ck12.org

Inverse Trigonometric Ratios

The word inverse is probably familiar to you. In mathematics, once you learn how to do an operation, you also learn
how to “undo” it. For example, you may remember that addition and subtraction are considered inverse operations.
Multiplication and division are also inverse operations. In algebra you used inverse operations to solve equations
and inequalities.
When we apply the word inverse to the trigonometric ratios, we can find the acute angle measures within a right
triangle. Normally, if you are given an angle and a side of a right triangle, you can find the other two sides, using
sine, cosine or tangent. With the inverse trig ratios, you can find the angle measure, given two sides.
Inverse Tangent: If you know the opposite side and adjacent side of an angle in a right triangle, you can use inverse
tangent to find the measure of the angle.
Inverse tangent is also called arctangent and is labeled tan−1 or arctan. The “-1” indicates inverse.
Inverse Sine: If you know the opposite side of an angle and the hypotenuse in a right triangle, you can use inverse
sine to find the measure of the angle.
Inverse sine is also called arcsine and is labeled sin−1 or arcsin.
Inverse Cosine: If you know the adjacent side of an angle and the hypotenuse in a right triangle, you can use inverse
cosine to find the measure of the angle.
Inverse cosine is also called arccosine and is labeled cos−1 or arccos.
Using the triangle below, the inverse trigonometric ratios look like this:

 
−1 b a
tan = m6 B tan−1 = m6 A
a b
 
−1 b
a
sin = m6 B sin−1 = m6 A
c c
a  
−1 b
cos−1 = m6 B cos = m6 A
c c

In order to actually find the measure of the angles, you will need you use your calculator. On most scientific and
graphing calculators, the buttons look like [SIN−1 ], [COS−1 ], and [TAN−1 ]. Typically, you might have to hit a shift
or 2nd button to access these functions. For example, on the TI-83 and 84, [2nd ][SIN] is [SIN−1 ]. Again, make sure
the mode is in degrees.
When you find the inverse of a trigonometric function, you put the word arc in front of it. So, the inverse of a tangent
is called the arctangent (or arctan for short). Think of the arctangent as a tool you can use like any other inverse
operation when solving a problem. If tangent tells you the ratio of the lengths of the sides opposite and adjacent to
an angle, then tangent inverse tells you the measure of an angle with a given ratio.
Example 1: Use the sides of the triangle and your calculator to find the value of 6 A. Round your answer to the
nearest tenth of a degree.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Solution: In reference to 6 A, we are given the opposite leg and the adjacent leg. This means we should use the
tangent ratio.
20
= 45 , therefore tan−1 45 = m6 A. Use your calculator.


tan A = 25
If you are using a TI-83 or 84, the keystrokes would be: [2nd ][TAN] 45 [ENTER] and the screen looks like:

So, m6 A = 38.7◦
Example 2: 6 A is an acute angle in a right triangle. Use your calculator to find m6 A to the nearest tenth of a degree.
a) sin A = 0.68
b) cos A = 0.85
c) tan A = 0.34
Solution:
a) m6 A = sin−1 0.68 = 42.8◦
b) m6 A = cos−1 0.85 = 31.8◦
c) m6 A = tan−1 0.34 = 18.8◦

Solving Triangles

Now that we know how to use inverse trigonometric ratios to find the measure of the acute angles in a right triangle,
we can solve right triangles. To solve a right triangle, you would need to find all sides and angles in a right triangle,
using any method. When solving a right triangle, you could use sine, cosine or tangent, inverse sine, inverse cosine,
or inverse tangent, or the Pythagorean Theorem. Remember when solving right triangles to only use the values that
you are given.
Example 3: Solve the right triangle.

Solution: To solve this right triangle, we need to find AB, m6 C and m6 B. Use AC and CB to give the most accurate
answers.

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1.7. Inverse Trigonometric Ratios www.ck12.org

AB: Use the Pythagorean Theorem.

242 + AB2 = 302

576 + AB2 = 900
AB2 = 324
√
AB = 324 = 18

m6 B: Use the inverse sine ratio.

24 4
sin B = =
  30 5
4
sin−1 = 53.1◦ = m6 B
5

m6 C: Use the inverse cosine ratio.

24 4
cosC = =
  30 5
4
cos−1 = 36.9◦ = m6 C
5

Example 4: Solve the right triangle.

Solution: To solve this right triangle, we need to find AB, BC and m6 A.

AB: Use sine ratio.

25
sin 62◦ =
AB
25
AB =
sin 62◦
AB ≈ 28.31

BC: Use tangent ratio.

25
tan 62◦ =
BC
25
BC =
tan 62◦
BC ≈ 13.30

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

m6 A: Use Triangle Sum Theorem

62◦ + 90◦ + m6 A = 180◦

m6 A = 28◦

Example 5: Solve the right triangle.

Solution: Even though, there are no angle measures given, we know that the two acute angles are congruent, making
them both 45◦ . Therefore, this is a 45-45-90 triangle. You can use the trigonometric ratios or the special right triangle
ratios.
Trigonometric Ratios

15 15
tan 45◦ = sin 45◦ =
BC AC
15 15
BC = = 15 AC = ≈ 21.21
tan 45◦ sin 45◦

45-45-90 Triangle Ratios

√
BC = AB = 15, AC = 15 2 ≈ 21.21

Real-Life Situations

Much like the trigonometric ratios, the inverse trig ratios can be used in several real-life situations. Here are a couple
examples.
Example 6: A 25 foot tall flagpole casts a 42 feet shadow. What is the angle that the sun hits the flagpole?

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1.7. Inverse Trigonometric Ratios www.ck12.org

Solution: First, draw a picture. The angle that the sun hits the flagpole is the acute angle at the top of the triangle,
x◦ . From the picture, we can see that we need to use the inverse tangent ratio.

42
tan x =
25
42
tan−1 ≈ 59.2◦ = x
25

Review Questions

Use your calculator to find m6 A to the nearest tenth of a degree.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

6.

Let 6 A be an acute angle in a right triangle. Find m6 A to the nearest tenth of a degree.

7. sin A = 0.5684
8. cos A = 0.1234
9. tan A = 2.78

Solving the following right triangles. Find all missing sides and angles.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

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1.7. Inverse Trigonometric Ratios www.ck12.org

15.
16. Writing Explain when to use a trigonometric ratio to find a side length of a right triangle and when to use the
Pythagorean Theorem.

Real-Life Situations Use what you know about right triangles to solve for the missing angle. If needed, draw a
picture. Round all answers to the nearest tenth of a degree.

17. A 75 foot building casts an 82 foot shadow. What is the angle that the sun hits the building?
18. Elizabeth wants to know the angle at which the sun hits a tree in her backyard at 3 pm. She finds that the
length of the tree’s shadow is 24 ft at 3 pm. At the same time of day, her shadow is 6 ft 5 inches. If Elizabeth
is 4 ft 8 inches tall, find the height of the tree and hence the angle at which the sunlight hits the tree.
19. Tommy was solving the triangle below and made a mistake. What did he do wrong?

 
−1 21
tan ≈ 36.9◦
28

20. Tommy then continued the problem and set up the equation: cos 36.9◦ = 21
h . By solving this equation he found
that the hypotenuse was 26.3 units. Did he use the correct trigonometric ratio here? Is his answer correct?
Why or why not?
21. How could Tommy have found the hypotenuse in the triangle another way and avoided making his mistake?

Examining Patterns Below is a table that shows the sine, cosine, and tangent values for eight different angle
measures. Answer the following questions.

TABLE 1.1:
10◦ 20◦ 30◦ 40◦ 50◦ 60◦ 70◦ 80◦
Sine 0.1736 0.3420 0.5 0.6428 0.7660 0.8660 0.9397 0.9848
Cosine 0.9848 0.9397 0.8660 0.7660 0.6428 0.5 0.3420 0.1736
Tangent 0.1763 0.3640 0.5774 0.8391 1.1918 1.7321 2.7475 5.6713

26. What value is equal to sin 40◦ ?

27. What value is equal to cos 70◦ ?
28. Describe what happens to the sine values as the angle measures increase.
29. Describe what happens to the cosine values as the angle measures increase.
30. What two numbers are the sine and cosine values between?
31. Find tan 85◦ , tan 89◦ , and tan 89.5◦ using your calculator. Now, describe what happens to the tangent values as
the angle measures increase.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

32. Explain why all of the sine and cosine values are less than one. (hint: think about the sides in the triangle and
the relationships between their lengths)

Review Queue Answers

a. sin 36◦ = 7y cos 36◦ = 7x

y = 4.11 x = 5.66
y
b. cos 12.7◦ = 40
x tan 12.7◦ = 40
x = 41.00 y = 9.01

√ c.
d. sin 45◦ = 3
√ = 2 2
3 2 √
◦
cos 45 = 3
√ = 22
3 2
tan 45◦ = 33 = 1
e. The tangent of 45◦ equals one because it is the ratio of the opposite side over the adjacent side. In an isosceles
right triangle, or 45-45-90 triangle, the opposite and adjacent sides are the same, making the ratio always 1.

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1.8. Application Problems www.ck12.org

1.8 Application Problems

Here you’ll use the Pythagorean Theorem and trigonometric ratios to solve the real world application problems.
A 40-foot-tall tree casts a shadow of 80 feet. What is the angle of elevation from the end of the shadow to the top of
the tree with respect to the ground?

Guidance

When solving word problems, it is important to understand the terminology used to describe angles. In trigonometric
problems, the terms angle of elevation and angle of depression are commonly used. Both of these angles are always
measured from a horizontal line as shown in the diagrams below.

Example A

An airplane approaching an airport spots the runway at an angle of depression of 25◦ . If the airplane is 15,000 ft
above the ground, how far (ground distance) is the plane from the runway? Give your answer to the nearest 100 ft.
Solution: Make a diagram to illustrate the situation described and then use a trigonometric ratio to solve. Keep in
mind that an angle of depression is down from a horizontal line of sight-in this case a horizontal line from the pilot
of the plane parallel to the ground.

Note that the angle of depression and the alternate interior angle will be congruent, so the angle in the triangle is
also 25◦ .
From the picture, we can see that we should use the tangent ratio to find the ground distance.

15000
tan 25◦ =
d
15000
d= ≈ 32, 200 f t
tan 25◦

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

Example B

Rachel spots a bird in a tree at an angle of elevation of 30◦ . If Rachel is 20 ft from the base of the tree, how high up
in the tree is the bird? Give your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot.
Solution: Make a diagram to illustrate the situation. Keep in mind that there will be a right triangle and that the
right angle is formed by the ground and the trunk of the tree.

Here we can use the tangent ratio to solve for the height of the bird

h
tan 30◦ =
20
h = 20 tan 30◦ ≈ 11.5 f t

Example C

A 12 ft ladder is leaning against a house and reaches 10 ft up the side of the house. To the nearest degree, what angle
does the ladder make with the ground?
Solution: In this problem, we will need to find an angle. By making a sketch of the triangle we can see which
inverse trigonometric ratio to use.

10
sin x◦ =
  12
−1 10
sin ≈ 56◦
12

Concept Problem Revisit If you draw this situation, you will see that we are dealing with a right triangle. The side
opposite the angle of elevation is 40. The side adjacent to the angle is 80. Therefore, we can use the tangent to find
the angle of elevation.

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1.8. Application Problems www.ck12.org

40 1
tan x◦ = =
80 2
1
tan−1 ( ) =≈ 26.57◦
2

Guided Practice

Use a trigonometry to solve the following application problems.

1. A ramp makes a 20◦ angle with the ground. If door the ramp leads to is 2 ft above the ground, how long is the
ramp? Give your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot.
2. Charlie lets out 90 ft of kite string. If the angle of elevation of the string is 70◦ , approximately how high is the
kite? Give your answer to the nearest foot.
3. A ship’s sonar spots a wreckage at an angle of depression of 32◦ . If the depth of the ocean is about 250 ft, how
far is the wreckage (measured along the surface of the water) from the ship, to the nearest foot.

Answers

1.
2
sin 20◦ =
x
2
x= ≈ 5.8 f t
sin 20◦

2.
x
sin 70◦ =
90
x = 90 sin 70◦ ≈ 85 f t

3.
250
tan 32◦ =
x
250
x= ≈ 400 f t
tan 32◦

Vocabulary

Angle of Elevation
An angle measured up from a horizontal line.

Angle of Depression
An angle measured down from a horizontal line.

Practice

Use the Pythagorean Theorem and/or trigonometry to solve the following word problems.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Right Triangle Relationships and Trigonometry

1. A square has sides of length 8 inches. To the nearest tenth of an inch, what is the length of its diagonal?
2. Layne spots a sailboat from her fifth floor balcony, about 25 m above the beach, at an angle of depression of
3◦ . To the nearest meter, how far out is the boat?
3. A zip line takes passengers on a 200 m ride from high up in the trees to a ground level platform. If the angle
of elevation of the zip line is 10◦ , how high above ground is the tree top start platform? Give your answer to
the nearest meter.
4. The angle of depression from the top of an apartment building to the base of a fountain in a nearby park is
57◦ . If the building is 150 ft tall, how far away, to the nearest foot, is the fountain?
5. A playground slide platform is 6 ft above ground. If the slide is 8 ft long and the end of the slide is 1 ft above
ground, what angle does the slide make with the ground? Give your answer to the nearest degree.
6. Benjamin spots a tree directly across the river from where he is standing. He then walks 27 ft upstream and
determines that the angle between his previous position and the tree on the other side of the river is 73◦ . How
wide, to the nearest foot, is the river?
7. A rectangle has sides of length 6 in and 10 in. To the nearest degree, what angle does the diagonal make with
the longer side?
8. Tommy is flying his kite one afternoon and notices that he has let out the entire 130 ft of string. The angle his
string makes with the ground is 48◦ . How high, to the nearest foot, is his kite at this time?
9. A tree struck by lightning in a storm breaks and falls over to form a triangle with the ground. The tip of the
tree makes a 18◦ angle with the ground 21 ft from the base of the tree. What was the height of the tree to the
nearest foot?
10. Upon descent an airplane is 19,000 ft above the ground. The air traffic control tower is 190 ft tall. It is
determined that the angle of elevation from the top of the tower to the plane is 15◦ . To the nearest mile, find
the ground distance from the airplane to the tower.
11. Why will the sine and cosine ratios always be less than 1?

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C HAPTER
2 Quadrilaterals
Chapter Outline
2.1 PARALLELOGRAMS
2.2 Q UADRILATERALS THAT ARE PARALLELOGRAMS
2.3 Q UADRILATERALS
2.4 Q UADRILATERAL C LASSIFICATION
2.5 R EFERENCES

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

2.1 Parallelograms

Here you’ll learn what a parallelogram is and how apply theorems about its sides, angles, and diagonals to solve for
unknown values.
What if you were told that FGHI is a parallelogram and you are given the length of FG and the measure of 6 F? What
can you determine about HI, 6 H, 6 G, and 6 I? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to apply parallelogram
theorems to answer such questions.

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CK-12 Parallelograms

Guidance

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.

Notice that each pair of sides is marked parallel (for the last two shapes, remember that when two lines are
perpendicular to the same line then they are parallel). Parallelograms have a lot of interesting properties. (You
can explore the properties of a parallelogram at: http://www.mathwarehouse.com/geometry/quadrilaterals/paralle
lograms/interactive-parallelogram.php)

Facts about Parallelograms

1) Opposite Sides Theorem: If a quadrilateral is a parallelogram, then both pairs of opposite sides are congruent.
If

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2.1. Parallelograms www.ck12.org

then

2) Opposite Angles Theorem: If a quadrilateral is a parallelogram, then both pairs of opposite angles are congruent.
If

then

3) Consecutive Angles Theorem: If a quadrilateral is a parallelogram, then all pairs of consecutive angles are
supplementary.
If

then

m6 A + m6 D = 180◦
m6 A + m6 B = 180◦
m6 B + m6 C = 180◦
m6 C + m6 D = 180◦

4) Parallelogram Diagonals Theorem: If a quadrilateral is a parallelogram, then the diagonals bisect each other.
If

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

then

Example A

ABCD is a parallelogram. If m6 A = 56◦ , find the measure of the other angles.

First draw a picture. When labeling the vertices, the letters are listed, in order.

If m6 A = 56◦ , then m6 C = 56◦ by the Opposite Angles Theorem.

m6 A + m6 B = 180◦ by the Consecutive Angles Theorem.

◦ ◦
56 + m6 B = 180
m6 B = 124◦ m6 D = 124◦ because it is an opposite angle to 6 B.

Example B

Find the values of x and y.

Remember that opposite sides of a parallelogram are congruent. Set up equations and solve.

6x − 7 = 2x + 9 y + 3 = 12
4x = 16 y=9
x=4

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2.1. Parallelograms www.ck12.org

Example C

Prove the Opposite Sides Theorem.

Given: ABCD is a parallelogram with diagonal BD

Prove: AB ∼
= DC, AD ∼= BC

TABLE 2.1:
Statement Reason
1. ABCD is a parallelogram with diagonal BD 1. Given
2. ABkDC, ADkBC 2. Definition of a parallelogram
3. 6 ABD ∼
= 6 BDC, 6 ADB ∼= 6 DBC 3. Alternate Interior Angles Theorem
4. DB ∼= DB 4. Reflexive PoC
5. 4ABD ∼ = 4CDB 5. ASA
6. AB ∼
= DC, AD ∼= BC 6. CPCTC

The proof of the Opposite Angles Theorem is almost identical. You will try this proof in the problem set.

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CK-12 Parallelograms

Guided Practice

1. Show that the diagonals of FGHJ bisect each other.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

2. SAND is a parallelogram, SY = 4x − 11 and Y N = x + 10. Solve for x.

3. Find the measures of a and b in the parallelogram below:

Answers:
1. Find the midpoint of each diagonal.

 
−4 + 6 5 − 4
Midpoint of FH : , = (1, 0.5)
2 2
 
3−1 3−2
Midpoint of GJ : , = (1, 0.5)
2 2

Because they are the same point, the diagonals intersect at each other’s midpoint. This means they bisect each other.
2. Because this is a parallelogram, the diagonals bisect each other and SY ∼
= Y N.

SY = Y N
4x − 11 = x + 10
3x = 21
x=7

3. Consecutive angles are supplementary so 127◦ + m6 b = 180◦ which means that m6 b = 53◦ . a and b are alternate
interior angles and since the lines are parallel (since its a parallelogram), that means that m6 a = m6 b = 53◦ .

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2.1. Parallelograms www.ck12.org

Practice

ABCD is a parallelogram. Fill in the blanks below.

1. If AB = 6, then CD = ______.
2. If AE = 4, then AC = ______.
3. If m6 ADC = 80◦ , m6 DAB = ______.
4. If m6 BAC = 45◦ , m6 ACD = ______.
5. If m6 CBD = 62◦ , m6 ADB = ______.
6. If DB = 16, then DE = ______.
7. If m6 B = 72◦ in parallelogram ABCD, find the other three angles.
8. If m6 S = 143◦ in parallelogram PQRS, find the other three angles.
9. If AB ⊥ BC in parallelogram ABCD, find the measure of all four angles.
10. If m6 F = x◦ in parallelogram EFGH, find the other three angles.

For questions 11-18, find the values of the variable(s). All the figures below are parallelograms.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

16.

17.

18.

Use the parallelogram WAV E to find:

19. m6 AW E
20. m6 ESV
21. m6 W EA
22. m6 AVW

Find the point of intersection of the diagonals to see if EFGH is a parallelogram.

23. E(−1, 3), F(3, 4), G(5, −1), H(1, −2)

24. E(3, −2), F(7, 0), G(9, −4), H(5, −4)
25. E(−6, 3), F(2, 5), G(6, −3), H(−4, −5)
26. E(−2, −2), F(−4, −6), G(−6, −4), H(−4, 0)

Fill in the blanks in the proofs below.

27. Opposite Angles Theorem

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2.1. Parallelograms www.ck12.org

Given: ABCD is a parallelogram with diagonal BD

Prove: 6 A ∼
=6 C

TABLE 2.2:
Statement Reason
1. 1. Given
2. ABkDC, ADkBC 2.
3. 3. Alternate Interior Angles Theorem
4. 4. Reflexive PoC
5. 4ABD ∼ = 4CDB 5.
6. 6 A ∼
=6 C 6.

28. Parallelogram Diagonals Theorem

Given: ABCD is a parallelogram with diagonals BD and AC

Prove: AE ∼
= EC, DE ∼= EB

TABLE 2.3:
Statement Reason
1. 1.
2. 2. Definition of a parallelogram
3. 3. Alternate Interior Angles Theorem
4. AB ∼
= DC 4.
5. 5.
6. AE ∼
= EC, DE ∼
= EB 6.

29. Find x, y◦ , and z◦ . (The two quadrilaterals with the same side are parallelograms.)

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

2.2 Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms

Here you’ll learn how to prove that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram.

What if four friends, Geo, Trig, Algie, and Calc were marking out a baseball diamond? Geo is standing at home
plate. Trig is 90 feet away at 3rd base, Algie is 127.3 feet away at 2nd base, and Calc is 90 feet away at 1st base. The
angle at home plate is 90◦ , from 1st to 3rd is 90◦ . Find the length of the other diagonal and determine if the baseball
diamond is a parallelogram. After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to answer questions like this based on
your knowledge of parallelograms.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter6QuadrilateralsthatareParallelogramsA

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Khan Academy: Opposite Sides of a Parallelogram Congruent

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2.2. Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms www.ck12.org

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Khan Academy: Diagonals of a Parallelogram Bisect Each Other

Guidance

Recall that a parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. Even if a quadrilateral is not marked
with having two pairs of sides, it still might be a parallelogram. The following is a list of theorems that will help you
decide if a quadrilateral is a parallelogram or not.
Opposite Sides Theorem Converse: If the opposite sides of a quadrilateral are congruent, then the figure is a
parallelogram.
Opposite Angles Theorem Converse: If the opposite angles of a quadrilateral are congruent, then the figure is a
parallelogram.
Parallelogram Diagonals Theorem Converse: If the diagonals of a quadrilateral bisect each other, then the figure
is a parallelogram.
Theorem: If a quadrilateral has one set of parallel lines that are also congruent, then it is a parallelogram.
Each of these theorems can be a way to show that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram.
Proof of the Opposite Sides Theorem Converse:

Given: AB ∼
= DC, AD ∼
= BC
Prove: ABCD is a parallelogram

TABLE 2.4:
Statement Reason
1. AB ∼
= DC, AD ∼ = BC Given
2. DB ∼= DB Reflexive PoC
3. 4ABD ∼ = 4CDB SSS
4. 6 ABD ∼= 6 BDC, 6 ADB ∼= 6 DBC CPCTC
5. AB || DC, AD || BC Alternate Interior Angles Converse
6. ABCD is a parallelogram Definition of a parallelogram

To show that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram in the x − y plane, you will need to use a combination of the slope
formulas, the distance formula and the midpoint formula. For example, to use the Definition of a Parallelogram, you
would need to find the slope of all four sides to see if the opposite sides are parallel. To use the Opposite Sides
Converse, you would have to find the length (using the distance formula or the Pythagorean Theorem) of each

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

side to see if the opposite sides are congruent. To use the Parallelogram Diagonals Converse, you would need to
use the midpoint formula for each diagonal to see if the midpoint is the same for both. Finally, you can use the last
Theorem in this Concept (that if one pair of opposite sides is both congruent and parallel then the quadrilateral is a
parallelogram) in the coordinate plane. To use this theorem, you would need to show that one pair of opposite sides
has the same slope (slope formula) and the same length (distance formula or Pythagorean Theorem).

Example A

Write a two-column proof.

Given: AB || DC and AB ∼
= DC
Prove: ABCD is a parallelogram

TABLE 2.5:
Statement Reason
1. AB || DC and AB ∼= DC Given
2. 6 ABD ∼= 6 BDC Alternate Interior Angles
3. DB ∼= DB Reflexive PoC
4. 4ABD ∼ = 4CDB SAS
5. AD ∼= BC CPCTC
6. ABCD is a parallelogram Opposite Sides Converse

Example B

Is quadrilateral EFGH a parallelogram? How do you know?

For part a, the opposite angles are equal, so by the Opposite Angles Theorem Converse, EFGH is a parallelogram.
In part b, the diagonals do not bisect each other, so EFGH is not a parallelogram.

Example C

Is the quadrilateral ABCD a parallelogram? What is the perimeter of ABCD?

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2.2. Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms www.ck12.org

First, find the length of AB and CD.

q q
AB = (−1 − 3)2 + (5 − 3)2 CD = (2 − 6)2 + (−2 + 4)2
q q
= (−4)2 + 22 = (−4)2 + 22
√ √
= 16 + 4 = 16 + 4
√ √
= 20 = 20

AB = CD, so if the two lines have the same slope, ABCD is a parallelogram.
5−3 2 −2+4
Slope AB = −1−3 = −4 = − 12 Slope CD = 2−6 = 2
−4 = − 12
Therefore, ABCD is a parallelogram.
To find the perimeter,
√ we need to find the lengths of all of the sides and add those sides together. We already know
that AB = CD = 20. We also know, by the Opposite Sides Theorem, that AD = BC. If we find the length of one
of the segments, we will have enough information to find the perimeter.
By creating a right triangle with an additional point at (6, 3) we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length
of BC as an alternative to using the distance formula.
BC2 = 32 + 72
BC2 = 9 + 49
BC2 =√58
BC = 58
√
Since AD = BC = 58. Now that we have the lengths of all four sides, we can add them to find the perimeter.
√ √ √ √ √ √
20 + 20 + 58 + 58 = 2 20 + 2 58 units
√ √
If you choose to simplify your radicals, 4 5 + 2 58 units would be an equivalent expression.
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

Concept Problem Revisited

First, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the second diagonal.

902 + 902 = d 2
8100 + 8100 = d 2
16200 = d 2
d = 127.3

This means that the diagonals are equal. If the diagonals are equal, the other two sides of the diamond are also 90
feet. Therefore, the baseball diamond is a parallelogram.

Vocabulary

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.

Guided Practice

1. What value of x would make ABCD a parallelogram?

2. Is the quadrilateral RSTU a parallelogram?

3. If a quadrilateral has one pair of parallel sides is it a parallelogram?

Answers:

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2.2. Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms www.ck12.org

1. AB || DC from the markings. Therefore, ABCD would be a parallelogram if AB = DC as well.

5x − 8 = 2x + 13
3x = 21
x=7

In order for ABCD to be a parallelogram, x must equal 7.

2. Let’s use the Parallelogram Diagonals Converse to determine if RSTU is a parallelogram. Find the midpoint of
each diagonal.
Midpoint of RT = −4+3 3−4


2 , 2 = (−0.5, −0.5)
Midpoint of SU = 4−5 5−5


2 , 2 = (−0.5, 0)
Because the midpoint is not the same, RSTU is not a parallelogram.
3. Although it has one pair of parallel sides, this quadrilateral is not a parallelogram because its opposite sides are
not necessarily congruent.

Interactive Practice

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Practice

For questions 1-11, determine if the quadrilaterals are parallelograms. If they are, write a reason.

1.

2.

3.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

For questions 12-14, determine the value of x and y that would make the quadrilateral a parallelogram.

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2.2. Quadrilaterals that are Parallelograms www.ck12.org

12.

13.

14.

For questions 15-17, determine if ABCD is a parallelogram.

15. A(8, −1), B(6, 5), C(−7, 2), D(−5, −4)

16. A(−5, 8), B(−2, 9), C(3, 4), D(0, 3)
17. A(−2, 6), B(4, −4), C(13, −7), D(4, −10)

Write a two-column proof.

18. Parallelogram Diagonals Theorem Converse

Given: AE ∼
= EC, DE ∼
= EBProve: ABCD is a parallelogram

19.
6 ∼ ∼
Given: ADB = CBD, AD = BCProve: ABCD is a parallelogram

Suppose that A(−2, 3), B(3, 3) and C(1, −3) are three of four vertices of a parallelogram.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

20. Depending on where you choose to put point D, the name of the parallelogram you draw will change. Sketch
a picture to show all possible parallelograms. How many can you draw?
21. If you know the parallelogram is named ABDC, what is the slope of side parallel to AC?
22. Again, assuming the parallelogram is named ABDC, what is the length of BD?

The points Q(−1, 1), U(7, 1), A(1, 7) and D(−1, 5) are the vertices of quadrilateral QUAD. Plot the points on graph
paper to complete problems 23-26.

23. Find the midpoints of sides QU, UA, AD and DQ. Label them W, X, Y and Z respectively.
24. Connect the midpoints to form quadrilateral W XY Z. What does this quadrilateral appear to be?
25. Find the perimeter of the polygon.
26. Use slopes to verify your answer to problem 24.
27. Use midpoints to verify your answer to problem 24.

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2.3. Quadrilaterals www.ck12.org

2.3 Quadrilaterals

Here you will review different kinds of quadrilaterals and their properties.
All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. How is this possible?

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Guidance

A quadrilateral is a polygon with four sides. There are many common special quadrilaterals that you should be
familiar with. Below, these special quadrilaterals are described with their definitions and some properties. Additional
properties are explored further and proved in another concept.

• A kite is a convex quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent congruent sides such that not all sides are congruent.
The word adjacent means “next to”, so the congruent sides are next to each other. Note: some texts leave out
the stipulation that “not all sides are congruent”. If this is the case, it is possible for a kite to be a rhombus
if all four sides are congruent. To note that sides are congruent on a picture, draw corresponding tick marks
through the middles of the congruent sides.

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• A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides. Note: most texts use the word “exactly”,
which means quadrilaterals with exactly one pair of parallel sides as pictured below. Since a trapezoid is a
quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides, all parallelograms are trapezoids. To note that sides are
parallel on a picture, draw corresponding arrow markings through the middles of the parallel sides.

• An isosceles trapezoid is a trapezoid with one pair of congruent sides. An additional property of isosceles
trapezoids is base angles are congruent.

• A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. Some additional properties of parallelo-
grams are opposite sides are congruent and opposite angles are congruent.

• A rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. All rectangles are parallelograms. An additional property
of rectangles is diagonals are congruent. You will be proving this in the practice section.

• A rhombus is a quadrilateral with four congruent sides. All rhombuses are parallelograms.

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2.3. Quadrilaterals www.ck12.org

• A square is a quadrilateral with four right angles and four congruent sides. All squares are rectangles and
rhombuses.

Notice that these categories of quadrilaterals overlap. A square is not only a square, but also a rhombus, a rectangle,
a parallelogram, a trapezoid, and a quadrilateral. This means that a square will have all the same properties as
rhombuses, rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and quadrilaterals.
The following figure shows the hierarchy of quadrilaterals.

FIGURE 2.1

Example A
What types of quadrilaterals have four right angles?
Solution: Rectangles and squares have four right angles.
Example B
Solve for x (picture not drawn to scale).

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www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Quadrilaterals

Solution: This quadrilateral is marked as having four congruent sides, so it is a rhombus. Rhombuses are parallelo-
grams, so they have all the same properties as parallelograms. One property of parallelograms is that opposite angles
are congruent. This means that the marked angles in this rhombus must be congruent.

x + 7 = 2x
x=7

Example C
A quadrilateral has two pairs of parallel sides. What type of quadrilateral must it be? What type of quadrilateral
could it be?
Solution: Two pairs of parallel sides is the definition of a parallelogram, so this quadrilateral must be a parallelo-
gram. It could be a rectangle, a square, a trapezoid, or a rhombus if it also satisfied the definition of any of those
quadrilaterals.
Concept Problem Revisited
Rectangles are defined as quadrilaterals with four right angles. Squares are defined as quadrilaterals with four right
angles and four congruent sides. Because all squares have four right angles and satisfy the definition for rectangles,
they can all also be called rectangles. On the other hand, not all rectangles have four congruent sides, so not all
rectangles can also be called squares.

Vocabulary

A kite is a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent congruent sides such that not all four sides are congruent. Note:
some texts leave out the stipulation that “not all sides are congruent”. If this is the case, it is possible for a kite to
be a rhombus if all four sides are congruent.
A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides.
An isosceles trapezoid is a trapezoid with one pair of congruent sides.
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.
A rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles.
A rhombus is a quadrilateral with four congruent sides.
A square is a quadrilateral with four right angles and four congruent sides.

Guided Practice

1. Draw a square. Draw in the diagonals of the square. Make at least one conjecture about the diagonals of the
square.
2. A quadrilateral has four congruent sides. What type of quadrilateral must it be? What type of quadrilateral could
it be?
3. Solve for x (picture not drawn to scale).

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Answers:
1. To make a conjecture means to make an educated guess. There are a few conjectures you might make about the
diagonals of a square. These conjectures will be proved in a later concept. Here are some possible conjectures:

• diagonals of a square are congruent

• diagonals of a square are perpendicular
• diagonals of a square bisect each other (cut each other in half)
• diagonals of a square bisect the angles (cut the 90◦ angles in half)

2. It must be a rhombus and therefore also a parallelogram. It could be a square.

3. This is a parallelogram so opposite sides are congruent.

3x + 1 = 5x − 12
2x = 13
x = 6.5

Practice

Decide whether each statement is always, sometimes, or never true. Explain your answer.
1. A square is a rectangle.
2. A rhombus is a square.
3. An isosceles trapezoid is a trapezoid.
4. A parallelogram is a quadrilateral.
5. A square is a parallelogram.
6. A trapezoid is a parallelogram.
Decide what type of quadrilateral it must be and what type of quadrilateral it could be based on the description.
7. A quadrilateral has 4 congruent angles.

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8. A quadrilateral has 2 pairs of congruent sides.

9. Draw a kite. Draw in its diagonals. Make at least one conjecture about the diagonals of kites.
10. Draw a rectangle. Draw in its diagonals. Make at least one conjecture about the diagonals of rectangles.
11. Draw a rhombus. Draw in its diagonals. Make at least one conjecture about the diagonals of rhombuses.
12. Draw a kite. Make a conjecture about the opposite angles of kites.
Use the markings on the shapes below to identify the shape. Then, solve for x. Note: pictures are not drawn to scale.
13.

14.

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15. Make a conjecture about the adjacent angles of a parallelogram (such as the ones marked in the picture below).
How must they be related?

16. Given rectangle ABCD, prove the diagonals are congruent.

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2.4 Quadrilateral Classification

Here you’ll learn how to differentiate among parallelograms, rectangles, rhombuses, squares, kites, trapezoids, and
quadrilaterals in the coordinate plane.
What if you were given the coordinates of four points that form a quadrilateral? How could you determine if that
quadrilateral qualifies as one of the special four-sided figures you learned about in the previous Concepts? After
completing this Concept, you’ll be able to make such a determination.

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CK-12 Classifying Quadrilaterals in the Coordinate Plane

Guidance

In order to be successful in this concept you need to already be familiar with the definitions and properties of the
following quadrilaterals: parallelograms, rhombuses, rectangles, squares, kites and trapezoids. The definitions for
each are provided in the vocabulary section as a resource, and further information can be found by searching on
those topic words.
When working in the coordinate plane, you will sometimes want to know what type of shape a given shape is. You
should easily be able to tell that it is a quadrilateral if it has four sides. But how can you classify it beyond that?
First you should graph the shape if it has not already been graphed. Look at it and see if it looks like any special
quadrilateral. Do the sides appear to be congruent? Do they meet at right angles? This will give you a place to start.
Once you have a guess for what type of quadrilateral it is, your job is to prove your guess. To prove that a quadrilateral
is a parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, square, kite or trapezoid, you must show that it meets the definition of that
shape OR that it has properties that only that shape has.
If it turns out that your guess was wrong because the shape does not fulfill the necessary properties, you can guess
again. If it appears to be no type of special quadrilateral then it is simply a quadrilateral.
The examples below will help you to see what this process might look like.

Example A

Determine what type of parallelogram TUNE is: T (0, 10),U(4, 2), N(−2, −1), and E(−6, 7).

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This looks like a rectangle. Let’s see if the diagonals are equal. If they are, then TUNE is a rectangle.

q q
EU = (−6 − 4)2 + (7 − 2)2 TN = (0 + 2)2 + (10 + 1)2
q p
= (−10)2 + 52 = 22 + 112
√ √
= 100 + 25 = 4 + 121
√ √
= 125 = 125

If the diagonals are also perpendicular, then TUNE is a square.

7−2 5 10−(−1)
Slope of EU = −6−4 = − 10 = − 12 Slope of T N = 0−(−2) = 11
2

The slope of EU 6= slope of T N, so TUNE is a rectangle.

Example B

A quadrilateral is defined by the four lines y = 2x + 1, y = −x + 5, y = 2x − 4, and y = −x − 5. Is this quadrilateral

a parallelogram?
To check if its a parallelogram we have to check that it has two pairs of parallel sides. From the equations we can
see that the slopes of the lines are 2, −1, 2 and −1. Because two pairs of slopes match, this shape has two pairs of
parallel sides and is a parallelogram.

Example C

Determine what type of quadrilateral RSTV is.

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This looks like a kite. Find the lengths of all the sides to check if the adjacent sides are congruent.

q q
RS = (−5 − 2)2 + (7 − 6)2 ST = (2 − 5)2 + (6 − (−3))2
q q
= (−7)2 + 12 = (−3)2 + 92
√ √
= 50 = 90

q q
RV = (−5 − (−4))2 + (7 − 0)2 V T = (−4 − 5)2 + (0 − (−3))2
q q
= (−1)2 + 72 = (−9)2 + 32
√ √
= 50 = 90

From this we see that the adjacent sides are congruent. Therefore, RSTV is a kite.

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CK-12 Classifying Quadrilaterals in the Coordinate Plane

Guided Practice

1. A quadrilateral is defined by the four lines y = 2x + 1, y = −2x + 5, y = 2x − 4, and y = −2x − 5. Is this

quadrilateral a rectangle?
2. Determine what type of quadrilateral ABCD is. A(−3, 3), B(1, 5),C(4, −1), D(1, −5).
3. Determine what type of quadrilateral EFGH is. E(5, −1), F(11, −3), G(5, −5), H(−1, −3)
Answers:

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1. To be a rectangle a shape must have four right angles. This means that the sides must be perpendicular to each
other. From the given equations we see that the slopes are 2, −2, 2 and −2. Because the slopes are not opposite
reciprocals of each other, the sides are not perpendicular, and the shape is not a rectangle.
2. First, graph ABCD. This will make it easier to figure out what type of quadrilateral it is. From the graph, we can
tell this is not a parallelogram. Find the slopes of BC and AD to see if they are parallel.

5−(−1) 6
Slope of BC = 1−4 = −3 = −2
3−(−5) 8
Slope of AD = −3−1 = −4 = −2
BCkAD, so ABCD is a trapezoid. To determine if it is an isosceles trapezoid, find AB and CD.

q q
AB = (−3 − 1)2 + (3 − 5)2 ST = (4 − 1)2 + (−1 − (−5))2
q p
= (−4)2 + (−2)2 = 32 + 42
√ √ √
= 20 = 2 5 = 25 = 5

AB 6= CD, therefore this is noy an isosceles trapezoid.

3. We will not graph this example. Let’s find the length of all four sides.

q √ q
EF = (5 − 11)2 + (−1 − (−3))2 FG = (11 − 5)2 + (−3 − (−5))2
q √ p √
= (−6)2 + 22 = 40 = 62 + 22 = 40
q q
GH = (5 − (−1))2 + (−5 − (−3))2 HE = (−1 − 5)2 + (−3 − (−1))2
q √ q √
= 62 + (−2)2 = 40 = (−6)2 + (−2)2 = 40

All four sides are equal. This quadrilateral is either a rhombus or a square. Let’s find the length of the diagonals.

q q
EG = (5 − 5)2 + (−1 − (−5))2 FH = (11 − (−1))2 + (−3 − (−3))2
p p
= 02 + 42 = 122 + 02
√ √
= 16 = 4 = 144 = 12

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The diagonals are not congruent, so EFGH is a rhombus and not a square.

Practice

Determine what type of quadrilateral ABCD is.

1. A(−2, 4), B(−1, 2),C(−3, 1), D(−4, 3)

2. A(−2, 3), B(3, 4),C(2, −1), D(−3, −2)
3. A(1, −1), B(7, 1),C(8, −2), D(2, −4)
4. A(10, 4), B(8, −2),C(2, 2), D(4, 8)
5. A(0, 0), B(5, 0),C(0, 4), D(5, 4)
6. A(−1, 0), B(0, 1),C(1, 0), D(0, −1)
7. A(2, 0), B(3, 5),C(5, 0), D(6, 5)

SRUE is a rectangle and PRUC is a square.

8. What type of quadrilateral is SPCE?

9. If SR = 20 and RU = 12, find CE.
10. Find SC and RC based on the information from part b. Round your answers to the nearest hundredth.

For questions 11-14, determine what type of quadrilateral ABCD is. If it is no type of special quadrilateral, just write
quadrilateral.

11. A(1, −2), B(7, −5),C(4, −8), D(−2, −5)

12. A(6, 6), B(10, 8),C(12, 4), D(8, 2)
13. A(−1, 8), B(1, 4),C(−5, −4), D(−5, 6)
14. A(5, −1), B(9, −4),C(6, −10), D(3, −5)

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2.5 References

1. . . CC BY-NC-SA
2. . . CC BY-NC-SA
3. . . CC BY-NC-SA
4. . . CC BY-NC-SA
5. . . CC BY-NC-SA
6. . . CC BY-NC-SA
7. . . CC BY-NC-SA
8. . . CC BY-NC-SA
9. . . CC BY-NC-SA
10. . . CC BY-NC-SA
11. . . CC BY-NC-SA

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

C HAPTER
3 Circles
Chapter Outline
3.1 S EGMENTS FROM C HORDS
3.2 A RCS IN C IRCLES
3.3 C HORDS IN C IRCLES
3.4 I NSCRIBED A NGLES IN C IRCLES
3.5 I NSCRIBED P OLYGONS IN C IRCLES
3.6 S EGMENTS FROM S ECANTS
3.7 S EGMENTS FROM S ECANTS AND TANGENTS
3.8 A NGLES O N AND I NSIDE A C IRCLE
3.9 C IRCLES S IMILARITY & A RC L ENGTH
3.10 A REA OF S ECTORS AND S EGMENTS
3.11 W RITING AND G RAPHING THE E QUATIONS OF C IRCLES

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3.1 Segments from Chords

Here you’ll learn the relationship that exists between two chords when they intersect to solve for unknown circle
values.
What if you were given a circle with two chords that intersect each other? How could you use the length of some of
the segments formed by their intersection to determine the lengths of the unknown segments? After completing this
Concept, you’ll be able to use the Intersecting Chords Theorem to solve problems like this one.

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Segments from Chords CK-12

Guidance

When we have two chords that intersect inside a circle, as shown below, the two triangles that result are similar.

This makes the corresponding sides in each triangle proportional and leads to a relationship between the segments
of the chords, as stated in the Intersecting Chords Theorem.
Intersecting Chords Theorem: If two chords intersect inside a circle so that one is divided into segments of length
a and b and the other into segments of length c and d then ab = cd.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

Example A

Find x in each diagram below.

a)

b)

Use the formula from the Intersecting Chords Theorem.

a)

12 · 8 = 10 · x
96 = 10x
9.6 = x

b)

x · 15 = 5 · 9
15x = 45
x=3

Example B

Solve for x.
a)

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b)

Use the Intersecting Chords Theorem.

a)

8 · 24 = (3x + 1) · 12
192 = 36x + 12
180 = 36x
5=x

b)

(x − 5)21 = (x − 9)24
21x − 105 = 24x − 216
111 = 3x
37 = x

Example C

Ishmael found a broken piece of a CD in his car. He places a ruler across two points on the rim, and the length of
the chord is 9.5 cm. The distance from the midpoint of this chord to the nearest point on the rim is 1.75 cm. Find
the diameter of the CD.

Think of this as two chords intersecting each other. If we were to extend the 1.75 cm segment, it would be a diameter.
So, if we find x in the diagram below and add it to 1.75 cm, we would find the diameter.

4.25 · 4.25 = 1.75 · x

18.0625 = 1.75x
x ≈ 10.3 cm, making the diameter10.3 + 1.75 ≈ 12 cm, which is the
actual diameter of a CD.

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Segments from Chords CK-12

Guided Practice

Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

1.

2.

3.

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3.1. Segments from Chords www.ck12.org

Answers
For all problems, use the Intersecting Chords Theorem.
1.

15 · 4 = 5 · x
60 = 5x
x = 12

2.

18 · x = 9 · 3
18x = 27
x = 1.5

3.

12 · x = 9 · 16
12x = 144
x = 12

Practice

Fill in the blanks for each problem below and then solve for the missing segment.

1.

20x =

90
www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

2.

·4 = ·x
Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

3.

4.

5.

Find the value of x.

6.

7.

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3.1. Segments from Chords www.ck12.org

8.
9. Suzie found a piece of a broken plate. She places a ruler across two points on the rim, and the length of the
chord is 6 inches. The distance from the midpoint of this chord to the nearest point on the rim is 1 inch. Find
the diameter of the plate.
10. Fill in the blanks of the proof of the Intersecting Chords Theorem.

Given: Intersecting chords AC and BE.

Prove: ab = cd

TABLE 3.1:
Statement Reason
1. Intersecting chords AC and BE with segments 1.
a, b, c, and d.
2. 2. Congruent Inscribed Angles Theorem
3. 4ADE ∼ 4BDC 3.
4. 4. Corresponding parts of similar triangles are propor-
tional
5. ab = cd 5.

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3.2 Arcs in Circles

Here you’ll learn the properties of arcs and central angles of circles and how to apply them.
What if the Ferris wheel below had equally spaced seats, such that the central angle were 20◦ . How many seats are
there? Why do you think it is important to have equally spaced seats on a Ferris wheel?

If the radius of this Ferris wheel is 25 ft., how far apart are two adjacent seats? Round your answer to the nearest
tenth. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to
answer questions like these.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9ArcsinCirclesA

Learn more about central angles by watching the video at this link.

Guidance

A central angle is the angle formed by two radii of the circle with its vertex at the center of the circle. In the picture
below, the central angle would be 6 BAC. Every central angle divides a circle into two arcs (an arc is a section of the
circle). In this case the arcs are BC
c and BDC.
d Notice the arc above the letters. To label an arc, always use this curve
above the letters. Do not confuse BC and BC.
c

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If D was not on the circle, we would not be able to tell the difference between BC c and BDC.d There are 360◦ in a
circle, where a semicircle is half of a circle, or 180◦ . m6 EFG = 180◦ , because it is a straight angle, so mEHG
[ = 180◦
and mEJG = 180 .
d ◦

• Semicircle: An arc that measures 180◦ .

• Minor Arc: An arc that is less than 180◦ .

• Major Arc: An arc that is greater than 180◦ . Always use 3 letters to label a major arc.

Two arcs are congruent if their central angles are congruent. The measure of the arc formed by two adjacent arcs
is the sum of the measures of the two arcs (Arc Addition Postulate). An arc can be measured in degrees or in a
linear measure (cm, ft, etc.). In this chapter we will use degree measure. The measure of the minor arc is the same
as the measure of the central angle that corresponds to it. The measure of the major arc equals to 360◦ minus the
measure of the minor arc. In order to prevent confusion, major arcs are always named with three letters; the letters
that denote the endpoints of the arc and any other point on the major arc. When referring to the measure of an arc,
always place an “m” in from of the label.

Example A

Find mAB d in J C.
c and mADB

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

c = 102◦ .
c = m6 ACB. So, mAB
mAB

d = 360◦ − mAB
mADB c = 360◦ − 102◦ = 258◦

Example B
J
Find the measures of the minor arcs in A. EB is a diameter.

Because EB is a diameter, m6 EAB = 180◦ . Each arc has the same measure as its corresponding central angle.

c = m6 FAB = 60◦
mBF
c = m6 EAF = 120◦ → 180◦ − 60◦
mEF
c = m6 EAD = 38◦ → 180◦ − 90◦ − 52◦
mED
c = m6 DAC = 90◦
mDC
c = m6 BAC = 52◦
mBC

Example C
J
Find the measures of the indicated arcs in A. EB is a diameter.

a) mFED
[
b) mCDF
[
c) mDFC
[
Use the Arc Addition Postulate.

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3.2. Arcs in Circles www.ck12.org

[ = mFE
a) mFED c = 120◦ + 38◦ = 158◦
c + mED
[ = mCD
b) mCDF c + mDE c = 90◦ + 38◦ + 120◦ = 248◦
c + mEF
[ = mED
c) mDFC c + mEF
c + mFB c = 38◦ + 120◦ + 60◦ + 52◦ = 270◦
c + mBC
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9ArcsinCirclesB

Concept Problem Revisited

◦
Because the seats are 20◦ apart, there will be 360
20◦ = 18 seats. It is important to have the seats evenly spaced for
balance. To determine how far apart the adjacent seats are, use the triangle to the right. We will need to use sine to
find x and then multiply it by 2.

x
sin 10◦ =
25
x = 25 sin 10◦ = 4.3 f t.

The total distance apart is 8.6 feet.

Vocabulary

A circle is the set of all points that are the same distance away from a specific point, called the center. An arc is a
section of the circle. A semicircle is an arc that measures 180◦ . A central angle is the angle formed by two radii
with its vertex at the center of the circle. A minor arc is an arc that is less than 180◦ . A major arc is an arc that is
greater than 180◦ .

Guided Practice
J
1. List the congruent arcs in C below. AB and DE are diameters.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

2. Are the blue arcs congruent? Explain why or why not.

a)

b)

J
3. Find the value of x for C below.

Answers:
1. 6 ACD ∼
= 6 ECB because they are vertical angles. 6 DCB ∼
= 6 ACE because they are also vertical angles.
c∼
AD = EB c∼
c and AE = DB
c
c∼
2. a) AD c because they have the same central angle measure and are in the same circle.
= BC

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3.2. Arcs in Circles www.ck12.org

b) The two arcs have the same measure, but are not congruent because the circles have different radii.
3. The sum of the measure of the arcs is 360◦ because they make a full circle.

c + mAD
mAB c = 360◦
c + mDB
(4x + 15)◦ + 92◦ + (6x + 3)◦ = 360◦
10x + 110◦ = 360◦
10x = 250
x = 25

Interactive Practice

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Practice
J
Determine if the arcs below are a minor arc, major arc, or semicircle of G. EB is a diameter.

1. AB
c
2. ABD
d
3. BCE
d
4. CAE
d
5. ABC
d
6. EAB
d
7. Are there any congruent arcs? If so, list them.
8. c = 48◦ , find mCD.
If mBC c
9. Using #8, find mCAE.
d

Determine if the blue arcs are congruent. If so, state why.

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

10.

11.

12.

J
Find the measure of the indicated arcs or central angles in A. DG is a diameter.

13. DEc
14. DCc
15. 6 GAB
16. FG
c
17. EDB
[
18. 6 EAB
19. [
DCF
20. DBE
[

J
Algebra Connection Find the measure of x in P.

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21.

22.

23.
J J
24. What can you conclude about A and B?

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3.3 Chords in Circles

Here you’ll learn four theorems about chords in circles and how to apply them to find missing values.
What if you were given a circle with two chords drawn through it? How could you determine if these two chords
were congruent? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to use four chord theorems to solve problems like
this one.

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Chords in Circles CK-12

Guidance

There are several important theorems about chords that will help you to analyze circles better.
1) Chord Theorem #1: In the same circle or congruent circles, minor arcs are congruent if and only if their
corresponding chords are congruent.

In both of these pictures, BE ∼ c∼

= CD and BE = CD.
c
2) Chord Theorem #2: The perpendicular bisector of a chord is also a diameter.

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3.3. Chords in Circles www.ck12.org

If AD ⊥ BC and BD ∼
= DC then EF is a diameter.
3) Chord Theorem #3: If a diameter is perpendicular to a chord, then the diameter bisects the chord and its
corresponding arc.

If EF ⊥ BC, then BD ∼ c∼
= DC and BE = EC.
c
4) Chord Theorem #4: In the same circle or congruent circles, two chords are congruent if and only if they are
equidistant from the center.

The shortest distance from any point to a line is the perpendicular line between them. If FE = EG and EF ⊥ EG,
then AB and CD are equidistant to the center and AB ∼ = CD.

Example A
J
Use A to answer the following.

c = 125◦ , find mCD.

a) If mBD c
c = 80◦ , find mCD.
b) If mBC c
Answers:

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www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Circles

c = 125◦ .
a) BD = CD, which means the arcs are congruent too. mCD
c ∼
b) mCD c because BD = CD.
= mBD

c + mCD
mBC c = 360◦
c + mBD
80◦ + 2mCD
c = 360◦
c = 280◦
2mCD
c = 140◦
mCD

Example B

Find the values of x and y.

The diameter is perpendicular to the chord. From Chord Theorem #3, x = 6 and y = 75◦ .

Example C

Find the value of x.

Because the distance from the center to the chords is equal, the chords are congruent.

6x − 7 = 35
6x = 42
x=7

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Chords in Circles CK-12

Guided Practice

1. Find the value of x and y.

J
2. BD = 12 and AC = 3 in A. Find the radius.

3. Find mBD
c from #2.
Answers:
1. The diameter is perpendicular to the chord, which means it bisects the chord and the arc. Set up equations for x
and y.

(3x − 4)◦ = (5x − 18)◦ y + 4 = 2y + 1

14 = 2x 3=y
7=x

2. First find the radius. AB is a radius, so we can use the right triangle 4ABC with hypotenuse AB. From Chord
Theorem #3, BC = 6.

32 + 62 = AB2
9 + 36 = AB2
√ √
AB = 45 = 3 5

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3. First, find the corresponding central angle, 6 BAD. We can find m6 BAC using the tangent ratio. Then, multiply
m6 BAC by 2 for m6 BAD and mBD. c

 
−1 6
tan = m6 BAC
3
m6 BAC ≈ 63.43◦
m6 BAD ≈ 2 · 63.43◦ ≈ 126.86◦ ≈ mBD
c

Practice

Fill in the blanks.

1. ∼
= DF
2. c∼
AC =
3. c∼
DJ =
4. ∼
= EJ
5. 6 AGH ∼
=
6. 6 DGF ∼
= J
7. List all the congruent radii in G.

J
Find the value of the indicated arc in A.

8. mBC
c

9. mBD
c

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10. mBC
c

11. mBD
c

12. mBD
c

13. mBD
c

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Find the value of x and/or y.

14.

15.

16.
17. AB = 32

18.

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19.

20.

21.
22. AB = 20

23. Find mAB

c in Question 17. Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a degree.
24. Find mAB
c in Question 22. Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a degree.

In problems 25-27, what can you conclude about the picture? State a theorem that justifies your answer. You may
assume that A is the center of the circle.

25.

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26.

27.

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3.4 Inscribed Angles in Circles

Here you’ll learn the Inscribed Angle Theorem, which states that the measure of an inscribed angle is half the
measure of its intercepted arc. You’ll also learn other inscribed angle theorems and you’ll use them to solve problems
about circles.
What if you had a circle with two chords that share a common endpoint? How could you use the arc formed by those
chords to determine the measure of the angle those chords make inside the circle? After completing this Concept,
you’ll be able to use the Inscribed Angle Theorem to solve problems like this one.

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Inscribed Angles in Circles CK-12

Guidance

An inscribed angle is an angle with its vertex on the circle and whose sides are chords. The intercepted arc is the
arc that is inside the inscribed angle and whose endpoints are on the angle. The vertex of an inscribed angle can be
anywhere on the circle as long as its sides intersect the circle to form an intercepted arc.

The Inscribed Angle Theorem states that the measure of an inscribed angle is half the measure of its intercepted
arc.

m6 ADC = 12 mAC c = 2m6 ADC

c and mAC

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Inscribed angles that intercept the same arc are congruent. This is called the Congruent Inscribed Angles Theorem
and is shown below.

6ADB and 6 ACB intercept AB,

c so m6 ADB = m6 ACB. Similarly, 6 DAC and 6 DBC intercept DC,
c so m6 DAC =
m6 DBC.
An angle intercepts a semicircle if and only if it is a right angle (Semicircle Theorem). Anytime a right angle is
inscribed in a circle, the endpoints of the angle are the endpoints of a diameter and the diameter is the hypotenuse.

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6 DAB intercepts a semicircle, so m6 DAB = 90◦ . 6 DAB is a right angle, so DB

c is a semicircle.

Example A

c and m6 ADB.
Find mDC

From the Inscribed Angle Theorem:

c = 2 · 45◦ = 90◦
mDC
1
m6 ADB = · 76◦ = 38◦
2

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Example B

Find m6 ADB and m6 ACB.

The intercepted arc for both angles is AB.

c Therefore,

1
m6 ADB = · 124◦ = 62◦
2
1
m6 ACB = · 124◦ = 62◦
2

Example C
J
Find m6 DAB in C.

C is the center, so DB is a diameter. 6 DAB’s endpoints are on the diameter, so the central angle is 180◦ .

1
m6 DAB = · 180◦ = 90◦ .
2

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Inscribed Angles in Circles CK-12

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Guided Practice

1. Find m6 PMN, mPN,

c m6 MNP, and m6 LNP.

2. Fill in the blank: An inscribed angle is ____________ the measure of the intercepted arc.
3. Fill in the blank: A central angle is ________________ the measure of the intercepted arc.
Answers:
1. Use what you’ve learned about inscribed angles.

m6 PMN = m6 PLN = 68◦ by the Congruent Inscribed Angles Theorem.

c = 2 · 68◦ = 136◦
mPN from the Inscribed Angle Theorem.
◦
m6 MNP = 90 by the Semicircle Theorem.
1
m6 LNP = · 92◦ = 46◦ from the Inscribed Angle Theorem.
2

2. half
3. equal to

Practice

Fill in the blanks.

1. An angle inscribed in a ________________ is 90◦ .

2. Two inscribed angles that intercept the same arc are _______________.
3. The sides of an inscribed angle are ___________________.
J
4. Draw inscribed angle 6 JKL in M. Then draw central angle 6 JML. How do the two angles relate?
J
Find the value of x and/or y in A.

5.

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6.

7.

8.

9.

Solve for x.

10.

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11.

12.

13.
14. Fill in the blanks of the Inscribed Angle Theorem proof.

Given: Inscribed 6 ABC and diameter BD

Prove: m6 ABC = 12 mAC
c

TABLE 3.2:
Statement Reason
1. Inscribed 6 ABC and diameter BD 1.
m6 ABE = x◦ and m6 CBE = y◦
2. x◦ + y◦ = m6 ABC 2.
3. 3. All radii are congruent
4. 4. Definition of an isosceles triangle
5. m6 EAB = x◦ and m6 ECB = y◦ 5.
6. m6 AED = 2x◦ and m6 CED = 2y◦ 6.
c = 2x◦ and mDC
7. mAD c = 2y◦ 7.
8. 8. Arc Addition Postulate
c = 2x◦ + 2y◦
9. mAC 9.

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TABLE 3.2: (continued)

Statement Reason
10. 10. Distributive PoE
c = 2m6 ABC
11. mAC 11.
12. m6 ABC = 12 mAC
c 12.

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3.5 Inscribed Polygons in Circles

Here you’ll learn properties of inscribed quadrilaterals in circles and how to apply them.
What if you were given a circle with a quadrilateral inscribed in it? How could you use information about the
arcs formed by the quadrilateral and/or the quadrilateral’s angle measures to find the measure of the unknown
quadrilateral angles? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to apply the Inscribed Quadrilateral Theorem to
solve problems like this one.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9InscribedQuadrilateralsinCirclesA

Learn more about cyclic quadrilaterals and parallel lines in circles by watching the video at this link.

Guidance

An inscribed polygon is a polygon where every vertex is on a circle. Note, that not every quadrilateral or polygon
can be inscribed in a circle. Inscribed quadrilaterals are also called cyclic quadrilaterals. For these types of
quadrilaterals, they must have one special property. We will investigate it here.

Investigation: Inscribing Quadrilaterals

Tools Needed: pencil, paper, compass, ruler, colored pencils, scissors

1. Draw a circle. Mark the center point A.

2. Place four points on the circle. Connect them to form a quadrilateral. Color the 4 angles of the quadrilateral 4
different colors.

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3. Cut out the quadrilateral. Then cut the quadrilateral into two triangles, by cutting on a diagonal.

4. Line up 6 B and 6 D so that they are adjacent angles. What do you notice? What does this show?

This investigation shows that the opposite angles in an inscribed quadrilateral are supplementary. By cutting the
quadrilateral in half, through the diagonal, we were able to show that the other two angles (that we did not cut
through) formed a linear pair when matched up.
Did you know that a square and a hexagon can also be inscribed in a circle? To watch the videos to create these
constructions, click on the links below.
Square Inscribed in a Circle
Hexagon Inscribed in a Circle
Inscribed Quadrilateral Theorem: A quadrilateral is inscribed in a circle if and only if the opposite angles are
supplementary.
A quadrilateral that can be inscribed in a circle is also called a cyclic quadrilateral. A cyclic quadrilateral (as
shown below) has a number of interesting properties:

In cyclic quadrilateral ABCD:

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• 6 A + 6 C = 6 B + 6 D = 180 (for proof click here)

• 6 ABD = 6 ACD
• 6 BCA = 6 BDA
• 6 BAC = 6 BDC
• 6 CAD = 6 CBD

Example A

Find the value of the missing variable.

x + 80◦ = 180◦ by the Inscribed Quadrilateral Theorem. x = 100◦ .

y + 71◦ = 180◦ by the Inscribed Quadrilateral Theorem. y = 109◦ .

Example B

Find the value of the missing variable.

It is easiest to figure out z first. It is supplementary with 93◦ , so z = 87◦ . Second, we can find x. x is an inscribed angle
that intercepts the arc 58◦ + 106◦ = 164◦ . Therefore, by the Inscribed Angle Theorem, x = 82◦ . y is supplementary
with x, so y = 98◦ .Find the value of the missing variables.

Example C

Find x and y in the picture below.

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The opposite angles are supplementary. Set up an equation for x and y.

(7x + 1)◦ + 105◦ = 180◦ (4y + 14)◦ + (7y + 1)◦ = 180◦

7x + 106◦ = 180◦ 11y + 15◦ = 180◦
7x = 84◦ 11y = 165◦
x = 12◦ y = 15◦

Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9InscribedQuadrilateralsinCirclesB

Vocabulary

A circle is the set of all points that are the same distance away from a specific point, called the center. A radius is
the distance from the center to the circle. A chord is a line segment whose endpoints are on a circle. A diameter
is a chord that passes through the center of the circle. The length of a diameter is two times the length of a radius.
A central angle is an angle formed by two radii and whose vertex is at the center of the circle. An inscribed angle
is an angle with its vertex on the circle and whose sides are chords. The intercepted arc is the arc that is inside the
inscribed angle and whose endpoints are on the angle. An inscribed polygon is a polygon where every vertex is on
the circle.

Guided Practice
J
Quadrilateral ABCD is inscribed in E. Find:

1. m6 A
2. m6 B
3. m6 C
4. m6 D

Answers:

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c = 105◦ because the complete circle must add up to 360◦ .

First, note that mAD
c = 1 (115 + 86) = 100.5◦
1. m6 A = 12 mBD 2
c = 1 (86 + 105) = 95.5◦
2. m6 B = 12 mAC 2
3. m6 C = 180◦ − m6 A = 180◦ − 100.5◦ = 79.5◦
4. m6 D = 180◦ − m6 B = 180◦ − 95.5◦ = 84.5◦

Interactive Practice

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Practice

Fill in the blanks.

1. A(n) _______________ polygon has all its vertices on a circle.

2. The _____________ angles of an inscribed quadrilateral are ________________.
J
Quadrilateral ABCD is inscribed in E. Find:

3. m6 DBC
4. mBCc
5. mABc
6. 6
m ACD
7. m6 ADC
8. m6 ACB
J
Find the value of x and/or y in A.

9.

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10.

11.

Solve for x.

12.

13.
14. Given inscribed quadrilateral ABCD (see below), prove that 6 A is supplementary to 6 C.
15. Given inscribed quadrilateral ABCD (see below), prove that 6 BCA = 6 BDA.

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3.6 Segments from Secants

Here you’ll learn the relationship between the segments that are created when two secants intersect outside a circle.
You’ll then use this relationship to solve for unknown circle values.
What if you were given a circle with two secants that intersect outside the circle? How could you use the length
of some of the segments formed by their intersection to determine the lengths of the unknown segments? After
completing this Concept, you’ll be able to use the Two Secants Segments Theorem to solve problems like this one.

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Segments from Secants CK-12

Guidance

When two secants intersect outside a circle, the circle divides the secants into segments that are proportional with
each other.
Two Secants Segments Theorem: If two secants are drawn from a common point outside a circle and the segments
are labeled as below, then a(a + b) = c(c + d).

Example A

Find the value of x.

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Use the Two Secants Segments Theorem to set up an equation.

18 · (18 + x) = 16 · (16 + 24)

324 + 18x = 256 + 384
18x = 316
5
x = 17
9

Example B

Find the value of x.

Use the Two Secants Segments Theorem to set up an equation.

x · (x + x) = 9 · 32
2x2 = 288
x2 = 144
x = 12, x 6= −12 (length is not negative)

Example C

True or False: Two secants will always intersect outside of a circle.

This is false. If the two secants are parallel, they will never intersect. It’s also possible for two secants to intersect
inside a circle.

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Segments from Secants CK-12

Guided Practice

Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

1.

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2.

3.

Answers:
Use the Two Secants Segments Theorem.
1.

8(8 + x) = 6(6 + 18)

64 + 8x = 144
8x = 80
x = 10

2.

4(4 + x) = 3(3 + 13)

16 + 4x = 48
4x = 32
x=8

3.

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3.6. Segments from Secants www.ck12.org

15(15 + 27) = x · 45
630 = 45x
x = 14

Practice

Fill in the blanks for each problem below. Then, solve for the missing segment.

1.

3( + ) = 2(2 + 7)

2.

x· = 8( + )
Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

3.

4.

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5.

6. Fill in the blanks of the proof of the Two Secants Segments Theorem.

Given: Secants PR and RT

Prove: a(a + b) = c(c + d)

TABLE 3.3:
Statement Reason
1. Secants PR and RT with segments a, b, c, and d. 1. Given
2. 6 R ∼
=6 R 2. Reflexive PoC
3. QPS ∼
6 = 6 ST Q 3. Congruent Inscribed Angles Theorem
4. 4RPS ∼ 4RT Q 4. AA Similarity Postulate
a c
5. c+d = a+b 5. Corresponding parts of similar triangles are propor-
tional
6. a(a + b) = c(c + d) 6. Cross multiplication

Solve for the unknown variable.

7.

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8.

9.

10.

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11.

12.

13.

14.

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15.

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3.7 Segments from Secants and Tangents

Here you’ll learn the relationship that exists between the segments that are created when a secant and tangent
intersect on a circle. You’ll then use this relationship to solve for unknown circle values.
What if you were given a circle with a tangent and a secant that intersect outside the circle? How could you use
the length of some of the segments formed by their intersection to determine the lengths of the unknown segments?
After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to use the Tangent Secant Segment Theorem to solve problems like
this one.

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Segments from Secants and Tangents CK-12

Guidance

If a tangent and secant meet at a common point outside a circle, the segments created have a similar relationship to
that of two secant rays.
Tangent Secant Segment Theorem: If a tangent and a secant are drawn from a common point outside the circle
(and the segments are labeled like the picture below), then a2 = b(b + c).

Example A

Find the length of the missing segment.

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Use the Tangent Secant Segment Theorem.

x2 = 4(4 + 12)
x2 = 4 · 16 = 64
x=8

Example B

Fill in the blank and then solve for the missing segment.

= (4 + 5)

x2 = 4(4 + 5)
x2 = 36
x=6

Example C

Find the value of the missing segment.

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Use the Tangent Secant Segment Theorem.

202 = y(y + 30)

400 = y2 + 30y
0 = y2 + 30y − 400
0 = (y + 40)(y − 10)
−40,
y =H

 10

H
H

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Segments from Secants and Tangents CK-12

Guided Practice

Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

1.

2.

3.

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Answers:
Use the Tangent Secant Segment Theorem.
1.

182 = 10(10 + x)
324 = 100 + 10x
224 = 10x
x = 22.4

2.

x2 = 16(16 + 25)
x2 = 656
√
x = 4 41

3.

x2 = 24(24 + 20)
x2 = 1056
√
x = 4 66

Practice

Fill in the blanks for each problem below and then solve for the missing segment.

1.

102 = x( + )
Find x in each diagram below. Simplify any radicals.

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2.

3.

4.
5. Describe and correct the error in finding y.

10 · 10 = y · 15y
100 = 15y2
20
= y2
√ 3
2 15
= y ←− y is not correct
3

Solve for the unknown variable.

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6.

7.

8.

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9.

10.

11.

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12.

13.

14.

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15.

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3.8 Angles On and Inside a Circle

Here you’ll learn how to solve problems containing angles that are on or inside a circle.
What if you were given a circle with either a chord and a tangent or two chords that meet at a common point? How
could you use the measure of the arc(s) formed by those circle parts to find the measure of the angles they make on
or inside the circle? After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to apply the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem and
the Intersecting Chords Angle Theorem to solve problems like this one.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9AnglesOnandInsideaCircleA

Learn more about chords and tangents by watching the second part of the video at this link.
Follow this link to watch a video about secants.

Guidance

When an angle is on a circle, the vertex is on the circumference of the circle. One type of angle on a circle is one
formed by a tangent and a chord.

Investigation: The Measure of an Angle formed by a Tangent and a Chord

Tools Needed: pencil, paper, ruler, compass, protractor

J ←→
1. Draw A with chord BC and tangent line ED with point of tangency C.

2. Draw in central angle 6 CAB. Then, using your protractor, find m6 CAB and m6 BCE.

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c (the minor arc). How does the measure of this arc relate to m6 BCE?
3. Find mBC

This investigation proves the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem.

Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem: The measure of an angle formed by a chord and a tangent that intersect on the
circle is half the measure of the intercepted arc.
From the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem, we now know that there are two types of angles that are half the measure
of the intercepted arc; an inscribed angle and an angle formed by a chord and a tangent. Therefore, any angle with
its vertex on a circle will be half the measure of the intercepted arc.
An angle is considered inside a circle when the vertex is somewhere inside the circle, but not on the center. All
angles inside a circle are formed by two intersecting chords.

Investigation: Find the Measure of an Angle

Tools Needed: pencil, paper, compass, ruler, protractor, colored pencils (optional)
J
1. Draw A with chord BC and DE. Label the point of intersection P.

2. Draw central angles 6 DAB and 6 CAE. Use colored pencils, if desired.

3. Using your protractor, find m6 DPB, m6 DAB, and m6 CAE. What is mDB
c and mCE?
c
mDB+m CE
4. Find .
c c
2
5. What do you notice?

Intersecting Chords Angle Theorem: The measure of the angle formed by two chords that intersect inside a circle
is the average of the measure of the intercepted arcs.
In the picture below:

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1 c c + mTc
 mSR Q
m6 SV R = mSR + mTc
Q = = m6 TV Q
2 2
1 c c = mST + mRQ = m6 RV Q
 c c
m6 SV T = mST + mRQ
2 2

Example A

Find mAEB
d

Use the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem.

d = 2 · m6 DAB = 2 · 133◦ = 266◦
mAEB

Example B

Find m6 BAD.

Use the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem.

c = 1 · 124◦ = 62◦
m6 BAD = 12 mAB 2

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Example C

Find a, b, and c.

To find a, it is in line with 50◦ and 45◦ . The three angles add up to 180◦ . 50◦ + 45◦ + m6 a = 180◦ , m6 a = 85◦ .
b is an inscribed angle, so its measure is half of mAC. c = 2 · m6 EAC =
c From the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem, mAC
◦
2 · 45 = 90 .◦

c = 1 · 90◦ = 45◦ .
m6 b = 12 · mAC 2
To find c, you can either use the Triangle Sum Theorem or the Chord/Tangent Angle Theorem. We will use the
Triangle Sum Theorem. 85◦ + 45◦ + m6 c = 180◦ , m6 c = 50◦ .
Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter9AnglesOnandInsideaCircleB

Vocabulary

A circle is the set of all points that are the same distance away from a specific point, called the center. A radius is
the distance from the center to the circle. A chord is a line segment whose endpoints are on a circle. A diameter is
a chord that passes through the center of the circle. The length of a diameter is two times the length of a radius. A
central angle is the angle formed by two radii and whose vertex is at the center of the circle. An inscribed angle
is an angle with its vertex on the circle and whose sides are chords. The intercepted arc is the arc that is inside the
inscribed angle and whose endpoints are on the angle. A tangent is a line that intersects a circle in exactly one point.
The point of tangency is the point where the tangent line touches the circle.

Guided Practice

Find x.
1.

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2.

3.

Answers:
Use the Intersecting Chords Angle Theorem and write an equation.
1. The intercepted arcs for x are 129◦ and 71◦ .

129◦ + 71◦ 200◦

x= = = 100◦
2 2

2. Here, x is one of the intercepted arcs for 40◦ .

52◦ + x
40◦ =
2
80◦ = 52◦ + x
38◦ = x

3. x is supplementary to the angle that the average of the given intercepted arcs. We will call this supplementary
angle y.
19◦ +107◦ 126◦
y= 2 = 2 = 63◦ This means that x = 117◦ ; 180◦ − 63◦

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Interactive Practice

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Practice

Find the value of the missing variable(s).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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6.
7. y 6= 60◦

Solve for x.

8.

9.

10.

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11.

12. Prove the Intersecting Chords Angle Theorem.

Given: Intersecting chords AC and BD.

 
Prove: m6 a = 21 mDCc + mAB c

Fill in the blanks.

13. If the vertex of an angle is _______________ a circle, then its measure is the average of the _____________-
_____ arcs.
14. If the vertex of an angle is ________ a circle, then its measure is ______________ the intercepted arc.
15. Can two tangent lines intersect inside a circle? Why or why not?

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3.9 Circles Similarity & Arc Length

Here you’ll learn how to find the length of an arc.

What if you wanted to find the "length" of the crust for an individual slice of pizza? A typical large pizza has a
diameter of 14 inches and is cut into 8 or 10 pieces. If the "length" of the entire crust is the circumference of the
pizza, find the "length" of the crust for one piece of pizza when the entire pizza is cut into a) 8 pieces or b) 10 pieces.
After completing this Concept, you’ll be able to answer these questions.

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CK-12 Foundation: Chapter10ArcLengthA

Learn more about arc length by watching the video at this link.

Guidance

The circumference of a circle is the distance around a circle. The number pi (π) is the ratio of the circumference
of a circle to its diameter. The circumference of a circle is π times the diameter: C = πd. Since the diameter is
also equal to two times the radius, circumference can also be found with the following: C = 2πr.
Are all circles similar? Think back to previous work you have done with similarity transformations. If a similarity
transformation will map one circle on to another, the two circles are similar. Consider the two circles in Figure
3.1. What similarity transformation will map circle A to circle B?
A translation will map circle A so that it shares the same center with circle B. A dilation with scale factor hk will
map circle A to circle B. Recall that a translation followed by a dilation is a similarity transformation. Since a
similarity transformation maps circle A to circle B, the two circles are similar.
Coplanar circles that have the same center are called concentric circles.
The length of an arc is traditionally denoted with an s.

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FIGURE 3.1

One way to measure arcs is in degrees. This is called the “arc measure” or “degree measure.” Arcs can also be
measured in length, as a portion of the circumference. Arc length is the length of an arc or a portion of a circle’s
circumference. The arc length is directly related to the degree arc measure.
The measure of an arc is in degrees. The arc length is a fraction of the circumference of a circle.
Consider the arcs shown below. Since the circles are concentric, a dilation will map circle A to circle B. The same
dilation will map the green slice of the circle A to the blue slice of the circle B. Since corresponding lengths of
similar figures are proportional,
r1 s1
r2 = s2
r1 s2 = r2 s1
s1 = r1 sr22

FIGURE 3.2

This means that the arc length s1 is equal to the radius r1 times some number. This means that the length of the arc

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intercepted by an angle is proportional to the radius.

You are familiar with measuring angles in degrees. You can also measure angles in radians. In the previous figure,
you saw that central angle θ of a circle intercepts an arc whose length s is proportional to the radius r. The ratio rs ,
which is the constant of proportionality, is defined as the measure of θ in radians.

FIGURE 3.3

When the arc length equals an entire circumference, we can use

s = θr
2πr = θr
2π = 360◦
π
Due to this relationship, to change from degrees to radians, multiply by 180◦ . To change from radians to degrees,
◦
multiply by 180
π .
Example A
Copy and complete the table.

TABLE 3.4:
Circle Part Degree Measure Radian Measure
Full Circle
Half Circle
Quarter Circle
One-Eighth Circle
1
360 of a Circle

π
To fill in the table, multiply each degree measure by 180 .

TABLE 3.5:
Circle Part Degree Measure Radian Measure
Full Circle 360° 2π radians
Half Circle 180° π radians
π
Quarter Circle 90° 2 radians
π
One-Eighth Circle 45° 4 radians
1 π
360 of a Circle 1° 180 radians

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mAB mAB
c=
Arc Length Formula: If d is the diameter or r is the radius, the length of AB · πd or · 2πr.
c c
360◦ 360◦

Example B

Find the length of PQ.

c Leave your answer in terms of π.

c is 60◦ . This means that mPQ

In the picture, the central angle that corresponds with PQ c = 60◦ as well. So, think of
◦ ◦ 60◦
the arc length as a portion of the circumference. There are 360 in a circle, so 60 would be 61 of that 360 1


◦ = 6 .
c is 1 of the circumference.
Therefore, the length of PQ 6

c = 1 · 2π(9) = 3π
length o f PQ
6

Example C

c = 6π and is 1
The arc length of AB 4 the circumference. Find the radius of the circle.
If 6π is 41 the circumference, then the total circumference is 4(6π) = 24π. To find the radius, plug this into the
circumference formula and solve for r.

24π = 2πr
12 = r

Example D

Find the measure of the central angle or PQ.

c

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Let’s plug in what we know to the Arc Length Formula.

mPQ
c
15π = · 2π(18)
360◦
mPQ
c
15 =
10◦
150◦ = mPQ
c

Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Chapter10ArcLengthB

For more information on arc length and radian measure, click here.
For a video that highlights these concepts, click here. (click the (x) in the top of the video window to access the
video).

Concept Problem Revisited

In the picture below, the top piece of pizza is if it is cut into 8 pieces. Therefore, for 18 of the pizza, one piece would
have 44 1
8 ≈ 5.5 inches of crust. The bottom piece of pizza is if the pizza is cut into 10 pieces. For 10 of the crust, one
44
piece would have 10 ≈ 4.4 inches of crust.

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Vocabulary

Circumference is the distance around a circle. Pi (π) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diame-
ter. Concentric circles are coplanar circles that have the same center. Arc length is the length of an arc or a portion
of a circle’s circumference. A radian, like degrees, is a unit for measuring angles.

Guided Practice
J
Find the arc length of PQ
c in A. Leave your answers in terms of π.
1.

2.

3. An extra large pizza has a diameter of 20 inches and is cut into 12 pieces. Find the length of the crust for one
piece of pizza.

Answers:
1. Use the Arc Length formula.

c = 135 · 2π(12)
PQ
360
c = 3 · 24π
PQ
8
c = 9π
PQ

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2. Use the Arc Length formula.

c = 360 − 260 · 2π(144)

PQ
360
5
c=
PQ · 288π
18
c = 80π
PQ

1
3. The entire length of the crust, or the circumference of the pizza, is 20π ≈ 62.83 in. In 12 of the pizza, one piece
would have 62.83
12 ≈ 5.24 inches of crust.

Interactive Practice

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

Practice

c in J A. Leave your answers in terms of π.

Find the arc length of PQ

1.

2.

3.

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4.

J
Find PA (the radius) in A. Leave your answer in terms of π.

5.

6.

7.

J
Find the central angle or mPQ
c in A. Round any decimal answers to the nearest tenth.

8.

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9.

10.
11. The Olympics symbol is five congruent circles arranged as shown below. Assume the top three circles are
tangent to each other. Brad is tracing the entire symbol for a poster. How far will his pen point travel?

Mario’s Pizza Palace offers a stuffed crust pizza in three sizes (diameter length) for the indicated
prices:
The Little Cheese, 8 in, $7.00
The Big Cheese, 10 in, $9.00
The Cheese Monster, 12 in, $12.00

12. What is the crust (in) to price ($) ratio for The Little Cheese?
13. What is the crust (in) to price ($) ratio for The Little Cheese?
14. What is the crust (in) to price ($) ratio for The Little Cheese?
15. Michael thinks the cheesy crust is the best part of the pizza and wants to get the most crust for his money.
Which pizza should he buy?
16. What is the difference between the measure of an arc and arc length? Explain.
17. In a circle with radius 1.5 units, what is the length of an arc intercepted by a central angle that measures 2.3
radians?
18. Are all circles similar? Are all circles congruent? Explain.

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3.10 Area of Sectors and Segments

Here you’ll learn how to find the area of a sector or a segment of a circle.
What if you wanted to find the area of a pizza, this time taking into consideration the area of the crust? In another
Concept, we found the length of the crust for a 14 in pizza. However, crust typically takes up some area on a pizza.
Leave your answers in terms of π and reduced improper fractions.

a) Find the area of the crust of a deep-dish 16 in pizza. A typical deep-dish pizza has 1 in of crust around the
toppings.
1
b) A thin crust pizza has 2 - in of crust around the edge of the pizza. Find the area of a thin crust 16 in pizza.
c) Which piece of pizza has more crust? A twelfth of the deep dish pizza or a fourth of the thin crust pizza?
After completing this Concept, you will be able to answer these questions.

Watch This

MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Chapter10AreaofSectorsandSegmentsA

Learn more about the area of a sector by watching the video at this link.
Watch this video to learn even more about the area of a sector.

Guidance

A sector of a circle is the area bounded by two radii and the arc between the endpoints of the radii.

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The area of a sector is a fractional part of the area of the circle, just like arc length is a fractional portion of the
circumference. The Area of a sector is A = m AB 2
360◦ · πr where r is the radius and AB is the arc bounding the sector.
c c
central angle 2
Another way to write the sector formula is A = 360◦ · πr .
The last part of a circle that we can find the area of is called a segment, not to be confused with a line segment. A
segment of a circle is the area of a circle that is bounded by a chord and the arc with the same endpoints as the
chord. The area of a segment is Asegment = Asector − A4ABC

Example A

Find the area of the blue sector. Leave your answer in terms of π.

In the picture, the central angle that corresponds with the sector is 60◦ . 60◦ would be 1
6 of 360◦ , so this sector is 1
6 of
the total area.

1 32
area o f blue sector = · π82 = π
6 3

Example B

Find the area of the blue segment below.

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As you can see from the picture, the area of the segment is the area of the sector minus the area of the isosceles
triangle made by the radii. If we split the isosceles triangle in half, we see that each half is a30-60-90 triangle,
√  √
where the radius is the hypotenuse. Therefore, the height of 4ABC is 12 and the base would be 2 12 3 = 24 3.

120 1 √ 
Asector = π · 242 A4 = 24 3 (12)
360 2 √
= 192π = 144 3

√
The area of the segment is A = 192π − 144 3 ≈ 353.8.

Example C

The area of a sector of circle is 50π and its arc length is 5π. Find the radius of the circle.
First substitute what you know to both the sector formula and the arc length formula. In both equations we will call
the central angle, “CA.”

CA 2 CA
50π = πr 5π = 2πr
360 360
50 · 360 = CA · r2 5 · 180 = CA · r
18000 = CA · r2 900 = CA · r

Now, we can use substitution to solve for either the central angle or the radius. Because the problem is asking for
the radius we should solve the second equation for the central angle and substitute that into the first equation for the
central angle. Then, we can solve for the radius. Solving the second equation for CA, we have: CA = 900 r . Plug this
into the first equation.

900 2
18000 = ·r
r
18000 = 900r
r = 20

Watch this video for help with the Examples above.

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MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.

CK-12 Foundation: Chapter10AreaofSectorsandSegmentsB

Concept Problem Revisited

The area of the crust for a deep-dish pizza is 82 π − 72 π = 15π. The area of the crust of the thin crust pizza is
82 π − 7.52 π = 31 15 5 2
4 π. One-twelfth of the deep dish pizza has 12 π or 4 π in of crust. One-fourth of the thin crust pizza
has 16 π in . To compare the two measurements, it might be easier to put them both into decimals. 45 π ≈ 3.93 in2
31 2
31
and 16 π ≈ 6.09 in2 . From this, we see that one-fourth of the thin-crust pizza has more crust than one-twelfth of the
deep dish pizza.

Vocabulary

A circle is the set of all points that are the same distance away from a specific point, called the center. A radius is
the distance from the center to the outer rim of the circle. A chord is a line segment whose endpoints are on a circle.
A diameter is a chord that passes through the center of the circle. The length of a diameter is two times the length
of a radius. Area is the amount of space inside a figure and is measured in square units. π, or “pi” is the ratio of the
circumference of a circle to its diameter. A sector of a circle is the area bounded by two radii and the arc between
the endpoints of the radii. A segment of a circle is the area of a circle that is bounded by a chord and the arc with
the same endpoints as the chord.

Guided Practice

1. The area of a sector is 135π and the arc measure is 216◦ . What is the radius of the circle?

2. Find the area of the shaded region. The quadrilateral is a square.

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J
3. Find the area of the blue sector of A.

Answers:
1. Plug in what you know to the sector area formula and solve for r.

216◦
135π = · πr2
360◦
3
135 = · r2
5
5
· 135 = r2
3 √
225 = r2 → r = 225 = 15

2. The radius of√the circle is 16, which is also half of the diagonal of the square. So, the diagonal is 32 and the sides
√
would be √ 32
· √2 = 16 2 because each half of a square is a 45-45-90 triangle.
2 2

Acircle = 162 π = 256π

 √ 2
Asquare = 16 2 = 256 · 2 = 512

The area of the shaded region is 256π − 512 ≈ 292.25

1
3. The right angle tells us that this sector represents 4 of the circle. The area of the whole circle is A = π82 = 64π.
So, the area of the sector is 41 64π = 16π.

Practice
J
Find the area of the blue sector or segment in A. Leave your answers in terms of π. You may use decimals or
fractions in your answers, but do not round.

1.

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Find the radius of the circle. Leave your answer in simplest radical form.

7.

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8.

9.

Find the central angle of each blue sector. Round any decimal answers to the nearest tenth.

10.

11.

12.

13. The area of a sector of a circle is 54π and its arc length is 6π. Find the radius of the circle.
14. Find the central angle of the sector from #13.
15. The area of a sector of a circle is 2304π and its arc length is 32π. Find the central angle of the sector.

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3.11 Writing and Graphing the Equations of Cir-

cles

Learning Objectives

• Graph a circle.
• Find the equation of a circle in the coordinate plane.
• Find the radius and center, given the equation of a circle and vice versa.
• Find the radius and center by completing the square.
• Find the equation of a circle, given the center and a point on the circle.
• Given the center and a point on the circle, prove or disprove an additional point is on the circle.

Graphing a Circle in the Coordinate Plane

Recall that the definition of a circle is the set of all points that are the same distance from a point, called the center.
This definition can be used to find an equation of a circle in the coordinate plane.

Let’s start with the circle centered at the origin, (0, 0). If (x, y) is a point on the circle, then the distance from the
center to this point would be the radius, r. x is the horizontal distance of the coordinate and y is the vertical distance.
Drawing those in, we form a right triangle. Therefore, the equation of a circle, centered at the origin is x2 + y2 = r2 ,
by the Pythagorean Theorem.
Example 1: Graph x2 + y2 = 9.
Solution: This circle is centered at the origin. It’s radius is the square root of 9, or 3. The easiest way to graph a
circle is to plot the center, and then go out 3 units in every direction and connect them to form a circle.

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The center does not always have to be on (0, 0). If it is not, then we label the center (h, k) and would use the distance
formula to find the length of the radius.

q
r = (x − h)2 + (y − k)2

If you square both sides of this equation, then we would have the standard equation of a circle.
Standard Equation of a Circle: The standard equation of a circle with center (h, k) and radius r is r2 = (x − h)2 +
(y − k)2 .
Example 2: Find the center and radius of the following circles.
a) (x − 3)2 + (y − 1)2 = 25
b) (x + 2)2 + (y − 5)2 = 49
Solution:
a) Rewrite the equation as (x − 3)2 + (y − 1)2 = 52 . Therefore, the center is (3, 1) and the radius is 5.
b) Rewrite the equation as (x − (−2))2 + (y − 5)2 = 72 . From this, the center is (-2, 5) and the radius is 7.
When finding the center of a circle always take the opposite sign of what the value is in the equation.
Example 3: What are the center and radius of the circle described by the equation x2 + y2 − 12x + 8y + 27 = 0

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In order to find the center and radius, you will need to complete the square. For a video that highlights this concept,
click here.
x2 + y2 − 12x + 8y = −27 Begin by moving the constant to the right side of the equation.
x2 + y2 − 12x + 36 + 8y + 16 = −27 + 36 + 16 To complete each square, you will take half of the coefficient of x
and square it (which is where the 36 came from) and half of the coefficient of y and square it (which is where the 16
came from). Remember that what you add to one side of the equation, you must add to the other to keep the balance
of the equation.
x2 − 12x + 36 + y2 + 8y + 16 = 25 When we organize our equation into like terms and simplify, we can factor into
perfect squares.
(x − 6)2 + (y + 4)2 = 25
Completing the square and factoring allows us to identify the center at (6, -4) and a radius of 5.
Example 4: Find the equation of the circle below.

Solution: First locate the center. Draw in a couple diameters. It is easiest to use the horizontal and vertical diameters.

From the intersecting diameters, we see that the center is (-3, 3). If we count the units from the center to the circle
on either of these diameters, we find that the radius is 6. Plugging this information into the equation of a circle, we
get (x − (−3))2 + (y − 3)2 = 62 or (x + 3)2 + (y − 3)2 = 36.

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Finding the Equation of a Circle

Example 5: Find the equation of the circle with center (4, -1) and passes through (-1, 2).
Solution: To find the equation, first plug in the center to the standard equation.
(x − 4)2 + (y − (−1))2 = r2 or (x − 4)2 + (y + 1)2 = r2
Now, plug in (-1, 2) for x and y and solve for r.

(−1 − 4)2 + (2 + 1)2 = r2

(−5)2 + (3)2 = r2
25 + 9 = r2
34 = r2

At this point, we don’t need to solve for r because r2 is what is in the equation. Substituting in 34 for r2 , we have
(x − 4)2 + (y + 1)2 = 34.
Example 6:
√
Prove or disprove that the point (1, 3) lies on the circle centered at the origin and containing the point (0, 2).
We know that the circle has a center of (0, 0) and contains the point (0, 2). Graphing these points will help us see
the radius of the circle.

FIGURE 3.4

With a center√of (0, 0) and a radius of 2, we know the equation of our circle is x2 + y2 = 4. To prove or disprove that
the point (1, 3) is on the circle, we plug the values in for x and y to see if they make the equation true.

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√
(1)2 + ( 3)2 = 4
1+3 = 4
4=4
√
Since the values make the equation true, the point (1, 3) is on the circle. You can verify √ this by using your
graphing calculator or geometric software such as Geogebra (note that point C is estimating 3):

FIGURE 3.5

Review Questions

Find the center and radius of each circle. Then, graph each circle.

1. (x + 5)2 + (y − 3)2 = 16
2. x2 + (y + 8)2 = 4
3. (x − 7)2 + (y − 10)2 = 20
4. (x + 2)2 + y2 = 8

Find the equation of the circles below.

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5.

6.

7.

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8.
9. Determine if the following points are on (x + 1)2 + (y − 6)2 = 45.
a. (2, 0)
b. (-3, 4)
c. (-7, 3)

Find the equation of the circle with the given center and point on the circle.

10. center: (2, 3), point: (-4, -1)

11. center: (10, 0), point: (5, 2)
12. center: (-3, 8), point: (7, -2)
13. center: (6, -6), point: (-9, 4)
14. Now let’s find the equation of a circle using three points on the circle. Do you remember how we found the
center and radius of a circle given three points on the circle in problem 30 of Section 9-3? We used the fact that
the perpendicular bisector of any chord in the circle will pass through the center. By finding the perpendicular
bisectors of two different chords and their intersection we can find the center of the circle. Then we can use
the distance formula with the center and a point on the circle to find the radius. Finally, we will write the
equation. Given the points A(−12, −21), B(2, 27) and C(19, 10) on the circle (an arc could be drawn through
these points from A to C), follow the steps below.
a. Since the perpendicular bisector passes through the midpoint of a segment we must first find the midpoint
between A and B.
←→
b. Now the perpendicular line must have a slope that is the opposite reciprocal of the slope of AB. Find the
←→
slope of AB and then its opposite reciprocal.
c. Finally, you can write the equation of the perpendicular bisector of AB using the point you found in part
a and the slope you found in part b.
d. Repeat steps a-c for chord BC.
e. Now that we have the two perpendicular bisectors of the chord we can find their intersection. Solve the
system of linear equations to find the center of the circle.
f. Find the radius of the circle by finding the distance from the center (point found in part e) to any of the
three given points on the circle.
g. Now, use the center and radius to write the equation of the circle.

Find the equations of the circles which contain three points in problems 15 and 16.

15. A(−2, 5), B(5, 6) and C(6, −1)

16. A(−11, −14), B(5, 16) and C(12, 9)

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17. What are the center and radius of the circle described by the equation x2 + y2 + 14x − 4y + 44 = 0?
18. What are the center and radius of the circle described by the equation x2 + y2 − 6x + 4y + 9 = 0?
2 2
19. √ circle described by the equation x + y − 10x − 8y + 25 = 0?
What are the center and radius of the
20. Prove or disprove that the point (2, 5) lies on the circle centered at the origin and containing the point (0, 3).
21. Prove or disprove that the point (−1, −2) lies on the circle centered at (2, −2) and containing the point (2, 1).

171