FAQ

What is tangency in geometry?

Tangency is when a line or curve touches another curve at exactly one point with the same direction. The radius is perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency.

Full Answer

Tangency occurs when a line or curve touches another curve at exactly one point, without crossing it. For a circle, the tangent at any point is perpendicular to the radius at that point.

Tangency Type	Condition	Operator
Line tangent to circle	dist(centre, line) = radius	Line/P,Tanto,C
External circle tangency	dist(centres) = r1 + r2	Circle/Tanto,C,C,R
Internal circle tangency	dist(centres) = \|r1 - r2\|	Circle/Tanto,C,C,R

XyzPilot Example

Line tangent to circle:
  C0 = Centre (50,50), radius 25
  L0 = Horizontal line at Y=75
  dist(C0 centre, L0) = |75-50| = 25 = radius
  Tangent point: (50, 75)

Point/Tanto, L0, C0, 0
→ P0 = (50, 75)

Relevant Operators

Point/Tanto,L,C

Tangent Point Line Circle

Creates a point at the tangent location.

Line/P,Tanto,C

Tangent from Point to Circle

Creates a tangent line from a point.

Arc/Fillet,L,L

Fillet Arc

Arc tangent to two lines.

Also See

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