Ruler and Compass Construction 36
Circle Tangent to a Line and Through Two Points

Reset
1. Line AB
2. Perpendicular to AB at midpoint D of AB
3. Midpoint E of AC
4. Circle centered at E, through C
5. Perpendicular to AB at B
6. Circle centered at C, through F
7. Perpendicular to the original line at G
8. Circle centered at H, through A
Explanation of the construction: The Secant-Tangent Theorem says CH^2 = CB*CA, so construction 24 is used to construct length CH.
Back to constructions page
Next construction: 37 Circle Tangent to Line, Circle, and Point
Previous construction: 33 Circle Tangent to Point inside Angle