CIRCLE • CIRCLE • LINE
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Two Circles Inside Each Other, Line Tangent To The Outer Circle
Number of solutions: 2
GeoGebra construction
Steps
- Since the line is tangent to the outer circle k1, the circles we are looking for must touch at their tangent point.
- We find this by forming a perpendicular to the given line p1, which also passes through the centre C of the circle k1.
- Let us call this tangent point F. The centres of the circles we are looking for must lie somewhere on this perpendicular line.
- Prepare a circle for circular inversion.
- It can have any radius, the important thing is that it has a center at point F. Let's call it circle e.
- Make a circular inversion for the inner given circle k2.
- Since the circle over which we do the circular inversion has its center at point F, we send point F to infinity.
- But since we are looking for something to touch point F and the inverted circle, this something must pass through infinity and also be tangent to the inverted circle.
- We also want this something to touch the given line p1 at only one point, point F.
- But this means that even in the inverted image, this something must touch the inverted line p1 at one point.
- Since this one location is supposed to be point F, which is at infinity, this something must be a line parallel to the image of the line p1.
- Construct two parallel lines to the line p1 that are also tangents to the inverted circle k2.
- We invert the parallel lines through the circle e back. This gives the two resulting circles.