Geometric Construction 3

Tangent Lines
Tangent Arcs
TANGENT LINES
 LINE TANGENT TO THE POINT
ON AN ARC
• Given: Arc AB and point C

B
LINE TANGENT TO THE POINT
ON AN ARC

1.Find the center of the arc,

label it point O.

2.Connect points O and C.

A E
3.Extend line OC with the
length of the extension equal
to line OC. Label the other end
O C D
as D.

4.Bisect line OD. Label the

intersections as E and F. F
B

5.Line EF is tangent to arc AB.

 LINE TANGENT TO AN ARC PASSING
THROUGH A POINT OUTSIDE THE ARC

• Given: Arc AB and point C

+ C
O
 LINE TANGENT TO AN ARC
PASSING THROUGH A POINT
OUTSIDE THE ARC

1. Find the center of an arc.

Label the point as O.
2. Connect points O and C. E
3. Bisect line OC. Label the
midpoint as D.
4. Using D as center and OD as +
O D C
radius, draw an arc
intersecting Circle O. Label
the intersection as E. E’
5. Connect point E to point C.
Line EC is tangent to arc AB.
 ARC OF RADIUS R TANGENT TO A POINT
ON A LINE

• Given: Line AB and radius R

R
A

B
 ARC OF RADIUS R TANGENT
TO A POINT ON A LINE

1. Draw a line perpendicular

to line AB passing through
point C.
A

2. Using C as center and

radius R, draw an arc D C
intersecting the
perpendicular line at point
D.
B

3. Using D as center, draw the

circle.
 ARC TANGENT TO A POINT ON A LINE
PASSING THROUGH A POINT OUTSIDE
THE LINE.
• Given: Line AB and radius R

B
ARC TANGENT TO A POINT ON
A LINE PASSING THROUGH A
POINT OUTSIDE THE LINE

1. Draw a line perpendicular to

line AB passing through point
C. A

2. Connect point P and point C.

O C
3. Bisect line CP. Label the
P
intersection of line CB and CP
as O.
B

4. Using O as center and radius

equal to OC, draw a circle.
 ARC EXTERNALLY TANGENT TO
ANOTHER ARC
• Given: Circle O and radius R
R
 ARC EXTERNALLY
TANGENT TO
ANOTHER ARC

1.Find the center of

the arc. Label the
center as O. A

2.Connect O to any
point along the
circumference of the
circle. Label the other
point as A. Extend
Line OA.
 ARC EXTERNALLY
TANGENT TO
ANOTHER ARC M

3. Add to the radius R

of circle O, the given
radius R. Label the A
new radius as OM. O

4. Using O as center
and radius OM, draw
a circle. Anywhere on
the drawn circle is
the center of the
circle that is
externally tangent to
the given arc.
 ARC INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
ANOTHER ARC
• Given: Circle O and radius R
R
ARC INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
ANOTHER ARC

1. Find the center of the arc.

Label the center as O.
2. Subtract the given radius
from the radius of circle
O, name the new radius M
as OM.
O
3. Using O as center and
radius OM, draw a circle.
Anywhere on the drawn
circle is the center of the
circle that is internally
tangent to the given arc.
INTERNALLY TANGENT CIRCLES
 LINE INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES
1. Connect points O
and P. A
2. Draw line
perpendicular to
+
point O and O +P

intersecting the
B
circle at point A.
Repeat the step
using point P
intersecting the
circle at point B.
 LINE INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

3. Connect point A to
point B. Label the + C
O +P
intersection of Line AB
and Line OP as C. B
 LINE INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

4. Using point C as a A
T1
common point outside
of both circles, and the C
+
procedure for deter- O +P

mining point of tan- T2 B

gency of a line to a
circle, locate point T1
on circle O and T2 on
circle P.
 LINE INTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

A
T1
T4
5. Connect T1 and T2, C
+
then T3 and T4. Lines O +P

T1T2 and T3T4 are

T3 T2 B
tangent to circles O
and P.
EXTERNALLY TANGENT CIRCLES
 LINE EXTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES
1. Connect points O
and P.
2. Subtract the radius
of the smaller circle a

from the radius of r

M
+ +P
the bigger circle. O

Using the remaining

radius r and center
at O, draw a circle.
3. Determine the
midpoint M of line
OP.
 LINE EXTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

4. Using M as center and

radius OM, draw an arc a
A
intersecting circle O at r
+ M
points A and B. O +P

B
5. Draw lines AP and BP.
 LINE EXTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

1
6. Draw perpendicular lines
a
from points A, B and P that A 3
r
intersects circle O at points + M
+P
O
1 and 2 and circle P at
B
points 3 and 4. 4
2
 LINE EXTERNALLY TANGENT TO
TWO CIRCLES

1
a
7. Connect point 1 and A 3
3, and points 2 and 4. r
M
+ +P
These are the external O

tangents. B
4
2
SMOOTH CURVES
 SMOOTH CURVE

1. Using O as center and

A
radius equal to OA, r O
strike an arc
intersecting line OP at A’
Q

point A’. P
2. Draw perpendicular
T
lines to points A and R
A’.
S
 SMOOTH CURVE
3. The intersection of
the two perpendiculars
is the center of the arc.
A
Label it O’. r O

O’
A’ Q
4. Using point O’ as
P
center and radius O’A,
draw the arc. T
R

5. Repeat the steps.

S
SMOOTH CURVE