Intersecting Secants Property and Two Circles of Unequal Radii

In summary, the conversation discusses the need to modify the Intersecting Secants Property to include a tangent and derive a new theorem. The conversation also mentions the difficult instructions for proving that the angle AYB remains the same size regardless of the position of the line AXB, and suggests setting up a diagram to help with the proof.
  • #1
nothing123
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i have a couple questions which i didnt want to continue on posting in the other thread or else it would get extremely hard to follow.

1. recall that the Intersecting Secants Property states that if two secants AB and CD intersect at an external point P, then PA x PB = PC x PD. well, i need to modify this theorem so that one of the secants turns into a tangent and derive a new theorem. any ideas?

2. Two circles of unequal radii intersect in X and Y. AXB is any line drawn through X meeting the circumferences again in A and B. Prove that ∠AYB remains the same size regardless of the position of AXB.

i simply need setting up the diagram for this. the instructions are somewhat hard to follow.

thanx in advance.
 
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  • #2
nothing123 said:
i have a couple questions which i didnt want to continue on posting in the other thread or else it would get extremely hard to follow.

1. recall that the Intersecting Secants Property states that if two secants AB and CD intersect at an external point P, then PA x PB = PC x PD. well, i need to modify this theorem so that one of the secants turns into a tangent and derive a new theorem. any ideas?

If AB is a tangent then A=B so PA= PB: (PA)2= PC x PD.

2. Two circles of unequal radii intersect in X and Y. AXB is any line drawn through X meeting the circumferences again in A and B. Prove that ∠AYB remains the same size regardless of the position of AXB.

i simply need setting up the diagram for this. the instructions are somewhat hard to follow.

thanx in advance.
Draw two intersecting circles, mark the points of intersection X and Y. Draw any line through X, mark the other points where that line intersects the two circles A and B, Draw AY and BY. There are, of course, many different lines through X. You want to prove that the measure of angle AYB is the same for all such lines. It might be helpful that that is equivalent to saying the arcs AX and XB have the same total measure for all such lines.
 

1. What is the Intersecting Secants Property?

The Intersecting Secants Property states that when two secant lines intersect outside of a circle, the product of the lengths of the segments of one secant line is equal to the product of the lengths of the segments of the other secant line.

2. How is the Intersecting Secants Property used in relation to two circles of unequal radii?

When two circles of unequal radii intersect, the Intersecting Secants Property can be used to find the length of the segments created by the intersecting secant lines. This information can be useful in solving geometric problems involving circles.

3. Can the Intersecting Secants Property be applied to intersecting chords?

Yes, the Intersecting Secants Property can also be applied to intersecting chords. The property states that the product of the lengths of the segments of one chord is equal to the product of the lengths of the segments of the other chord.

4. How does the Intersecting Secants Property relate to the Pythagorean Theorem?

The Intersecting Secants Property is closely related to the Pythagorean Theorem. When two intersecting secant lines are drawn from the same external point to a circle, the theorem can be used to find the lengths of the secant segments. This is because the theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

5. Are there any real-life applications of the Intersecting Secants Property and two circles of unequal radii?

Yes, the Intersecting Secants Property and two circles of unequal radii can be applied in real-life situations such as constructing arches and bridges, finding the distance between two points on a map, and calculating the angle of elevation or depression of an object.

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