Exams › SSC CGL (Prelims) › General

A circle has radius 5 cm. A tangent is drawn from an external point M. If the length of the tangent is 12 cm, what is the distance from M to the center of the circle?

1. 13 cm
2. 11 cm
3. 15 cm
4. 17 cm

Correct answer: 13 cm

Solution

The radius to the point of tangency is perpendicular to the tangent, so the center, tangency point, and external point form a right triangle. The radius is 5 cm and the tangent length is 12 cm, so the distance from the center to M is \(\sqrt{5^2+12^2}=13\) cm.

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