Relating Chord Length to Center Distance
Relating Chord Length to Center Distance
Observe how the length of a chord relates to its distance from the center of a circle.
Putting It All Together
Answer these open ended questions on your own or with others to form deeper math connections.
Open-ended question 1
Based on your observations, what can you say about the distances from congruent chords to the center of the circle?
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Open-ended question 2
Based on your observations, what can you say about the lengths of chords that are equidistant from the center of the circle?
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Open-ended question 3
Using the ‘show radii’ option, what type of triangles are formed?
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Open-ended question 4
Which congruence criteria (SSS, SAS, HL) proves these triangles are congruent?
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Open-ended question 5
How does this triangle congruence prove your observations?
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Open-ended question 6
As you make a chord longer, does its distance from the center increase or decrease?
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Prerequisite Resources
More from Arc, Chord, and Tangent Properties of Circles
