Question

Using your compass, construct a tangent to a circle through a point you select on the circle. Then describe in your own words how you constructed the tangent. (Hint: Use your own words, even if you paraphrase the instructions on page 748 of this lesson's reading in the activity Text: Theorems about Tangents.)

Answer 1

Have you done this sort of thing before?

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

Have you done any straightedge and compass constructions before, at all?

Answer 4

Drawing a tangent to a circle isn't very difficult, but it requires some previous construction knowledge, such as drawing perpendicular lines.

Answer 5

The relevant theorem that will guide your drawing is that tangents to circles are at right angles to their radii.