Tangent Line Discovery
Rotate the straight wire around point P to discover when it becomes a tangent to the circle
Wire Rotation Controls
0° 45° 360°
Slow Fast
Move Point P:
💡 Tip: You can also drag point P directly on the circle!
🔍 Keep rotating: Watch how the second intersection point Q moves closer to P as you approach the tangent position.
Observations
Intersection Points
2
points where wire meets circle
Line Type
Secant Line
current classification
Distance Q to P
0.000
units (approaches 0 for tangent)
Understanding Tangents
1
Secant Line: A line that intersects a circle at two distinct points.
2
Tangent Line: A special case where the line touches the circle at exactly one point.
3
Key Discovery: There is only one tangent line possible at any given point on a circle, and it's always perpendicular to the radius at that point.
4
Interactive Tip: Drag point P around the circle to explore tangent lines at different positions!