Find the secant line to the unit circle that is equidistant from the $x$-axis

Answer 1

Abigail Nelson

William King

To find the secant line to the unit circle that is equidistant from the $x$-axis, we use the equation of the unit circle

$ x^2 + y^2 = 1 $

and the general equation of a line

$ y = mx + b $

Since the secant line is equidistant from the $x$-axis, the $y$-intercept $b$ must satisfy the condition that the distances from $b$ to the points of intersection with the circle are equal. So, we solve:

Substitute $y = mx + b$ into the circle

Answer 2

Alex Thompson

Lily Perez

To find the secant line to the unit circle that is equidistant from the $x$-axis, use the circle equation

$ x^2 + y^2 = 1 $

and the line equation

$ y = mx + b $

Substitute $y = mx + b$ into the circle

Answer 3

Amelia Mitchell

Thomas Walker

For a secant to the unit circle

$ x^2 + y^2 = 1 $

and line

$ y = mx + b $

the intersection condition is:

$ b^2 < 1 + m^2 $