Segment WC

Question

is tangent to circle O
at point W.

CO¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯,
CW¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯,
and OW¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
are drawn in to create △OWC.

Circle O as described, where O W equals r.If WC=15
and CO=17,
what is OW?
Enter the correct value.

Answer 1

Using the Pythagorean Theorem in triangle OWC, we have:

OW^2 + CW^2 = CO^2

Substitute the given values:

OW^2 + (15)^2 = (17)^2
OW^2 + 225 = 289
OW^2 = 289 - 225
OW^2 = 64
OW = √64
OW = 8

Therefore, the length of OW is 8.