SOLUTION: A bicycle chain fits tightly around two gears. What is the distance between the centers of the gears if the radii of the bigger and smaller gears are 9.3 inches and 2.4 inches, r

Algebra ->  Circles -> SOLUTION: A bicycle chain fits tightly around two gears. What is the distance between the centers of the gears if the radii of the bigger and smaller gears are 9.3 inches and 2.4 inches, r      Log On


   



Question 996970: A bicycle chain fits tightly around two gears. What is the distance between the
centers of the gears if the radii of the bigger and smaller gears are 9.3 inches
and 2.4 inches, respectively, and the portion of the chain tangent to the two
gears is 26.5 inches long?

Answer by KMST(5328) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I am not going to write the units anywhere,
but we understand that all the numbers are measurements in inches.
I assume it is like this
We have to find the missing x side measurement in that colorful quadrilateral in the middle.
The tangent to a circle is always perpendicular to the radius at the point if tangency,
so that quadrilateral has two right angles.
Let me draw that quadrilateral by itself,
tilted a bit, and enlarged a bit, so it shows its best profile.
You don't mind if I draw an extra red line parallel to the original red line, do you?

That extra red line made a right triangle appear.
The legs measure red%2826.5%29 , and green%289.3%29-green%282.4%29=6.9 .
The hypotenuse measures