Exams › SSC CGL (Prelims) › General
Correct answer: 12 cm
For two circles touching externally, the length of the direct common tangent is \(\sqrt{d^2-(r_1-r_2)^2}\), where \(d=r_1+r_2\). Here, \(d=13\) and \(r_1-r_2=5\), so the length is \(\sqrt{169-25}=12\) cm.