Multiple choice

The number of common tangent to the circle one of which passes through the origin and cuts off intercepts 2 from each of the axes, and the other circle has the line segment joining the origin and the point (1, 1) as a diameter, is

  1. 0

  2. 1

  3. 2

  4. 3

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
AI explanation

The first circle passes through (2, 0) and (0, 2), and since it passes through the origin, its equation is x squared plus y squared minus 2x minus 2y equals 0, making its center (1, 1) with a radius of root 2. The second circle has the segment from the origin to (1, 1) as its diameter, so its center is (0.5, 0.5) and its radius is root 2 divided by 2. The distance between their centers is root 2, which equals the difference of their radii, meaning the circles touch internally. Two circles that touch internally have exactly one common tangent in the plane. Therefore, the number of common tangents is 1.