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What is the equation of the circle with center at (0, 2) and tangent to the line 3x - 4y = 12
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All you need is to find the radius of the circle, i.e. the distance from the point (0,2)
to the given straight line 3x - 4y - 12 = 0.
There is a remarkable formula which ideally suits for this need.
Let the straight line in a coordinate plane is defined in terms of its linear equation
a*x + b*y + c = 0,
where "a", "b" and "c" are real numbers, and let P = (,) be the point in the coordinate plane.
Then the distance from the point P to the straight line is equal to
d = .
Regarding this formula, see the lesson
The distance from a point to a straight line in a coordinate plane
in this site.
Substitute the given data a= 3, b= -4, c= -12, = 0, = 2 into the formula to get the distance under the question
= = = 4.
Answer. The radius of the circle is 4 units.
The standard equation of the circle is + = .
Solved.