Mathematics

Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

LESSON 10.1
Common Tangents and Tangent Segments
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competencies 2

Objectives 2

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 4

Let’s Practice 8

Check Your Understanding 17

Key Points 21

Bibliography 21
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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Lesson 10.1
Common Tangents and Tangent
Segments

Fig. 1. A Pulley

Introduction
Do you know how people can lift heavy objects? They can use machines such as pulley to lift
heavy objects. The rope is placed on the wheel, and pulling the rope turns the wheel, which
in turn helps in lifting heavy objects.

A pulley makes use of the concept of circles. You can think of the ropes as lines tangent to the
circle. In this lesson, you will learn about common tangents and tangent segments of a circle.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will help
you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying this
lesson. Show your complete solution.

1. Let 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 be the sides of a right triangle with 𝑐 as the hypotenuse. Find the
length of the missing side.
a. 𝑎 = 12, 𝑏 = 16, 𝑐 =?
b. 𝑎 = 12, 𝑏 =? , 𝑐 = 37
c. 𝑎 =? , 𝑏 = 40, 𝑐 = 41
d. 𝑎 = 16, 𝑏 = 30, 𝑐 =?

DepEd Competencies
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Prove theorems on secants, tangents, and segments (M10GE-IIe-f-1).

● Solve problems on circle (M10GE-IIf-2).

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Correctly describe and determine the types of common tangents.

● Accurately solve for the missing lengths of segments, radius, and tangent
segment of a circle.

● Correctly solve problems involving tangents.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Warm-Up!

Draw as Many As You Can

Materials
● pen
● paper
● compass
● ruler

Instructions
1. This activity may be done individually or with partner.
2. Shown are figures consisting of two circles.
3. Redraw the figures on your paper.
4. For each figure, you are to draw as many lines that are tangent to both circles as
you can.
5. Compare your work with your partner.
6. Wait for your teacher to show the correct answers and how the tangents are
drawn. How many did you get correctly?

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Learn about It!

Recall that a line is tangent to a circle if that line touches the circle at exactly one point. The
point of intersection between the circle and a tangent line is called the point of tangency.
Recall also that a radius drawn from the center of the circle up to the point of tangency is
perpendicular to the tangent line at the point of tangency.

In the given figure, ⃡𝑆𝑋 is a tangent line to the circle 𝐶 at the point 𝑋 called the point of tangency.
The radius 𝐶𝑋 is perpendicular to the tangent line 𝑆𝑋
⃡ .

Consider extending the radius and make a diameter from the same figure. Denote the other
endpoint of the diameter as 𝑌. From this point, we can draw another tangent to the circle and
this tangent line is parallel to the tangent line 𝑆𝑋
⃡ . Any pair of tangents whose points of

tangency are the endpoints of a diameter of a circle are parallel to each other.

Note that for every point on a circle, there corresponds only one unique tangent line passing
through that point.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Essential Question
What are tangents and the types of common tangents?

A single line can be a tangent to two or more circles. If a line is tangent to two or more circles,
it is said to be a common tangent of the circles. This common tangent of the circles can be
an internal or external tangent.

A tangent line is an internal common tangent if it intersects the line segment joining the
centers of the circles. On the other hand, a tangent line is an external common tangent if it
does not intersect the line segment joining the centers of the circles.

In the given figures, 𝐴𝐵

⃡ is an internal common tangent because it intersects the segment

joining the centers of the circles 𝑊 and 𝑋 while ⃡𝐶𝐷 is an external common tangent because
it does not intersect the line segment joining the centers of the circles 𝑌 and 𝑍.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

A different way of looking at common tangents is that when the points of contact are distinct
and the two circles lie on the same half-plane, then the common tangent is external. If the
two circles are on opposite sides, then the common tangent is internal.

Two circles can have one, two, three, four, or no common tangents at all.

You tried to find out how many tangents can be drawn given two circles in Warm Up!. Shown
below are the possibilities. Can you compare which ones are similar to which ones in Warm
Up!? Did you get the correct number of tangents?

If the distinct circles have a common point on a given plane, then they must be tangent to
each other and they share a common tangent.

Consider circles 𝑂 and 𝑃. They are tangent externally to each other since they are on
opposite sides of the common tangent.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

On the other hand, circles 𝑃 and 𝑄 are tangent internally to each other since both lie on the
same side of the common tangent.

Another way of visualizing tangent circles is that when one circle is inside the other, then the
circles are tangent internally, whereas when one circle is outside, then two circles are tangent
externally.

Essential Question
How do we solve for problems involving tangents and common tangents?

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Let’s Practice
Example 1
In the figure shown, 𝐸𝐹 and 𝐺𝐻 are common external tangents to circles 𝐴 and 𝐵. If
𝐸𝐹 = 4𝑥 + 11 and 𝐺𝐻 = 9𝑥 − 14, how long are 𝐸𝐹 and 𝐺𝐻?

Solution
Step 1: Note that radii 𝐴𝐸, 𝐵𝐹, 𝐺𝐻, and 𝐴𝐻 are perpendicular to the tangents at 𝐸, 𝐹,
𝐺,and 𝐻, respectively. 𝐴𝐺 = 𝐴𝐸 and at the same time,𝐵𝐻 = 𝐹𝐵. Also,𝐴𝐵 = 𝐴𝐵 by
reflexivity. By symmetry, the two external common tangents must be
congruent. Thus, 𝐸𝐹 = 𝐺𝐻. Substituting the lengths with their expressions, we
have

4𝑥 + 11 = 9𝑥 − 14
11 + 14 = 9𝑥 − 4𝑥
25 = 5𝑥
25 5𝑥
=
5 5
5=𝑥

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Step 2: Substitute the obtained value of 𝑥 into 𝐸𝐹.

𝐸𝐹 = 4𝑥 + 11
𝐸𝐹 = 4(5) + 11
𝐸𝐹 = 20 + 11
𝐸𝐹 = 31

Note that 𝐸𝐹 and 𝐺𝐻 are congruent. Therefore, 𝐸𝐹 and 𝐺𝐻 are both 31 units
long.

Try It Yourself!
In the figure shown, 𝑅𝑆 and 𝑉𝑊 are common external tangents to circles 𝑇 and 𝑈. If 𝑅𝑆 =
8𝑥 + 5 and 𝑉𝑊 = 10𝑥 − 9, how long are 𝑅𝑆 and 𝑉𝑊?

Example 2
The length of the external common tangent 𝐷𝑄 is 4 units. If the radii of the two circles 𝐶 and
𝑃 are 5 units and 2 units, respectively, find the distance between the centers of the two circles.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Solution
Step 1: Draw a line segment that joins the centers of the two circles. Also, draw a line
segment passing through the center 𝑃 that is parallel to the external common
tangent.

This line segment measures 4 units also since the quadrilateral formed is a
rectangle. The opposite sides of the rectangle are equal in measure.

Also, by doing that, we cut the radius 𝐶𝐷 into two parts measuring 2 units and
3 units.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Step 2: Study the right triangle formed and solve for the distance between the centers
of the circles.

The upper portion becomes a right triangle with measures 3 units and 4 units
on each leg of the right triangle. The segment 𝐶𝑃, which is also the hypotenuse
of the right triangle, can be obtained using the Pythagorean Formula.

That is, 𝐶𝑃 = √32 + 42 = 5. Therefore, the distance between the centers of the
circle is 5 units.

Try It Yourself!
The length of the external common tangent 𝐵𝑌 is 12 units. If the radii of the two circles 𝐴
and 𝑋 are 8 units and 3 units, respectively, find the distance between the centers of the
two circles.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Example 3
Find the length of 𝐶𝐷 if 𝐷𝑋 = 8, 𝑄𝑋 = 4, and 𝑃𝑄 = 9.

Solution
Step 1: Establish a relationship between the triangles formed in the figure.

From the figure, it can be said that angles ∠𝐶𝐷𝑋 and ∠𝑃𝑄𝑋 are right angles
because the radii 𝐶𝐷 and 𝑃𝑄 are perpendicular to the tangent line at the points
of tangency. It can also be observed that ∠𝐷𝑋𝐶 and ∠𝑄𝑋𝑃 are congruent
because they are vertical angles. By the AA Similarity Postulate, ∆𝐶𝐷𝑋 ∼ ∆𝑃𝑄𝑋.
𝐶𝐷 𝐷𝑋 𝐶𝑋
It follows that 𝑃𝑄 = 𝑄𝑋 = 𝑃𝑋.

Step 2: Find 𝐶𝐷.

𝐶𝐷 𝐷𝑋
Use 𝑃𝑄 = 𝑄𝑋 and substitute the values.

𝐶𝐷 8
=
9 4
4𝐶𝐷 = 72
𝐶𝐷 = 18

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Therefore, the length of 𝐶𝐷 is 18 units.

Try It Yourself!
Find the length of 𝐺𝐻 if 𝐹𝐸 = 16, 𝐸𝐼 = 12, and 𝐼𝐻 = 3.

Real-World Problems
Example 4
The front and rear wheels of a tractor have radii 15 inches and 21 inches, respectively. The
road acts as an external common tangent to both the front and the rear tire. If the distance
between the points of tangency is 106 inches, what is the distance between the centers of the
tires?

Solution
Step 1: Draw a diagram for the problem.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Step 2: Draw a line parallel to the road that passes through the center of the smaller
wheel, forming a right triangle.

Step 3: Focus on the right triangle formed and determine the height of the right
triangle.

To find this height, we subtract the radii of the wheels:

21 inches − 15 inches = 6 inches

Step 4: Find the distance between the centers of the wheels.

To find this distance, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem.

distance between centers = √62 + 1062

distance between centers = √36 + 11236
distance between centers = √11272

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

distance between centers ≈ 106.17

Therefore, the distance between the centers of the wheels is approximately

106.17 inches.

Example 5
Two towers represented by circles 𝐴 and 𝐵 below have a bizarre architecture. From the top
view, they have circular walls with different radii and are connected by a walkway as shown
in the figure. The walkway 𝐷𝐸 is an internal common tangent of the circular buildings. If 𝐴𝐷 =
15 meters, 𝐴𝐶 = 25 meters, and 𝐵𝐸 = 12 meters, find the length of the walkway.

Solution
Step 1: Establish the relationship of the triangles formed in the figure.

Notice that the radii 𝐴𝐷 and 𝐵𝐸 intersect the common tangent at the points of
tangency 𝐷 and 𝐸, respectively. Thus,∠𝐷 and ∠𝐸 are right angles.

Also, ∠𝐴𝐶𝐷 and ∠𝐸𝐶𝐵 are vertical angles and are therefore congruent. By AA
similarity, ∆𝐴𝐷𝐶 and ∆𝐵𝐸𝐶 are similar.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Step 2: Find 𝐷𝐶.

Notice that ∆𝐴𝐷𝐶 is a right triangle.

Thus, its sides satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem.

(𝐴𝐷)2 + (𝐷𝐶)2 = (𝐴𝐶)2

152 + (𝐷𝐶)2 = 252
225 + (𝐷𝐶)2 = 625
(𝐷𝐶)2 = 625 − 225
(𝐷𝐶)2 = 625 − 225
(𝐷𝐶)2 = 400
𝐷𝐶 = √400
𝐷𝐶 = 20

Step 3: Find 𝐸𝐶.

𝐷𝐶 𝐸𝐶
Since ∆𝐴𝐷𝐶 ∼ ∆𝐵𝐸𝐶, we have 𝐴𝐷 = 𝐵𝐸. Substituting, we have

20 𝐸𝐶
=
15 12
(20)(12) = 15 𝐸𝐶
240 = 15 𝐸𝐶
240 15 𝐸𝐶
=
15 15
16 = 𝐸𝐶

Step 4: Find the length of the walkway 𝐷𝐸.

Using Segment Addition Postulate,

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

𝐷𝐸 = 𝐷𝐶 + 𝐶𝐸
𝐷𝐸 = 20 + 16
𝐷𝐸 = 36

Therefore, the walkway is 36 meters long.

Try It Yourself!
In a court, a volleyball and a basketball was left resting on the ground by some students.
The radius of the volleyball is 4.075 inches while that of the basketball is 4.775 inches. If
the distance between their centers is 10 inches, find the distance between the points of
tangency of the balls with the ground.

Check Your Understanding

A. In each of the following figures, find the number of common tangents that may be
drawn.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

B. Identify what is asked.

For items 1 to 4, refer to the figure below.

1. If 𝐷𝐸 = 25, what is 𝐹𝐺?

2. If 𝐹𝐺 = 37, what is 𝐷𝐸?
3. If 𝐷𝐸 = 5𝑥 − 2, and 𝐹𝐺 = 3𝑥 + 8, what is 𝑥?
4. If 𝐹𝐺 = 9𝑥 + 7 and 𝐷𝐸 = 12𝑥 − 8, what is 𝐷𝐸?

For 5 to 8, refer to the following figure. 𝑁𝐾 is an external common tangent of circles 𝑀

and 𝐽.

5. If the radii of circles 𝑀 and 𝐽 are 11 and 4, respectively, and 𝑁𝐾 = 24, what is 𝑀𝐽?
6. If the radii of circles 𝑀 and 𝐽 are 10 and 2, respectively, and 𝑁𝐾 = 15, what is 𝑀𝐽?
7. If 𝑁𝐾 = 40, 𝑀𝐽 = 41, and the radius of circle 𝐽 is 10, what is the radius of circle 𝑀?

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

8. If 𝑁𝐾 = 60, 𝑀𝐽 = 61, and the radius of circle 𝑀 is 33, what is the radius of circle 𝐽?

For 9 to 11, refer to the following figure.

𝐷𝑄 is an internal common tangent of circles 𝐶 and 𝑃.

9. If 𝐷𝑋 = 49, 𝐶𝐷 = 77, and 𝑋𝑄 = 35, what is 𝑃𝑄?

10. If 𝐶𝐷 = 𝐷𝑋 = 8, and 𝑃𝑄 = 6, what is 𝑃𝑋?
11. If 𝐶𝑋 = 26, 𝐷𝑋 = 10, and 𝑋𝑄 = 5, find the area of ∆𝑃𝑄𝑋.

C. Solve the following problems. Show your complete solution.

1. In an animation frame, the eyes of a shocked cartoon squirrel look like two circles
with unequal radii, one 8 mm, and the other 20 mm. An imaginary external
common tangent connecting the circles is 35 mm long. How far apart are the
centers of the eyes of the character?

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

2. The front piece design of a bronze arm cuff consists of two circles of unequal radii
connected by an internal common tangent as shown below. If 𝐴𝐷 = 9 mm, 𝐴𝐶 =
15 mm, and 𝐵𝐸 = 6 mm, find the length of the internal common tangent 𝐷𝐸.

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Grade 10 • Unit 10: Parts of a Circle II: Secants, Tangents, Segments, and Sectors

Key Points

• A tangent is a line that touches a circle at exactly one point. The point of intersection
between the circle and a tangent line is the point of tangency.
• A common tangent is a line that is tangent to two or more circles.
o An internal common tangent is a tangent line that intersects the line
segment joining the centers of the circles.
o An external common tangent is a tangent line that do not intersect the line
segment joining the centers
• Two circles are tangent externally if they are on opposite sides of the common
tangent.
• Two circles are tangent internally if they are on the same side of the common
tangent.

Bibliography

“Common Tangent and Tangent Circles”. cK-12. Retrieved 27 April 2019 from
https://www.ck12.org/section/Common-Tangents-and-Tangent-Circles/

Anderson, Dawn Leigh. “Common Internal and External Tangents”. The University of
Georgia. Retrieved 27 April 2019 from
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt668/emt668.folders.f97/anderson/writeup6/writeup6.
html

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Roberts, D. “Tangents and Circles”. Math Bits Noteboook. Retrieved 27 April 2019 from
https://mathbitsnotebook.com/Geometry/Circles/CRTangent.html

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