1

Secant to none
The tangent of a circle at a point P is the line that just
touches the circle at P. A radius from the center of the circle
to point P will be perpendicular to the tangent line at P.
In the following gure, the circle has a radius of 1 unit.
1. Show that y = sec x.
Remember that sec x =
1
cos x
2. Imagine changing the angle x so it has values from

2
to

2
. Use the fact that y = sec x to explain why
(a) sec

2
and sec

2
are undened.
(b) sec 0 = 1.
Problems with a Point: July 5, 2002 c EDC 2002
Secant to none: Hints 1
Hints
Hint to problem 1. Construct a segment to form a right
triangle with a hypotenuse of 1 unit.
What are the lengths of the sides of the new right triangle, Remember, the length of the
hypotenuse is 1.
in terms of x?
Look for similar triangles.
What do you know about the ratios of sides in similar tri-
angles?
Problems with a Point: July 5, 2002 c EDC 2002
Secant to none: Solutions 1
Solutions
1. Construct a segment to form a right triangle inside the Teachers Note: You may want
to have students verify that the
tangent line at point P is
perpendicular to the radius to
point P, although they may
already have done this in a
Geometry class. One way to
verify this is to assume the radius
is not perpendicular. If you
construct a line perpendicular to
the tangent and through the
center of the circle, then you have
a right triangle with the radius to
P as the hypotenuse. So the leg
from the center to tangent line
must be shorter than the radius,
which means the vertex at the
right angle must be inside the
circle. This is a contradiction, so
the radius must be perpendicular.
circle with a hypotenuse of 1 unit. The legs of the right
triangle have length cos x and sin x. (For example,
sin x =
length of the side opposite the angle of measure x
length of the hypotenuse
and the hypotenuse has length 1. Similarly, cos x is the
length of the side adjacent to the angle of measure x.)
This triangle shares the angle of measure x with the large
right triangle (which has y as one leg), so the two triangles
are similar. The ratios of corresponding sides of similar tri-
angles are constant. (This is why the trigonometric func-
tions were inventedsee the problem set, Side by side by
side.) Specically:
hypotenuse of small triangle
side adjacent to x in small triangle
=
hypotenuse of large triangle
side adjacent to x in large triangle
Notice that the side adjacent x in the small triangle has
length cos x, and the corresponding side of the large trian-
gle has length 1 (because its a radius of the circle). The
hypotenuse of the small triangle also has length 1 (because
its a radius of the circle), and the hypotenuse of the large
triangle has length y. Using these lengths in the equation
above gives
1
cos x
=
y
1
. That is, sec x = y.
2. (a) Imagine moving the segment that serves as the hy- Extension: If students also
complete How tangent got its
name, you can have them use
the diagram and the Pythagorean
Theorem to show why
sec
2
x = 1 + tan
2
x.
potenuse in the right triangles from the previous prob-
lem. (This will change the value of x.) When it has
Problems with a Point: July 5, 2002 c EDC 2002
Secant to none: Solutions 2
moved so that x is

2
or

2
, the segment is parallel
to the tangent lineso it doesnt intersect with the
tangent line. There is no y, so sec x is undened.
(b) When x is 0, the segment is the radius to point P
(where the tangent intersects the circle), so y has length 1.
Problems with a Point: July 5, 2002 c EDC 2002