Baby circle
A small circle fits between two touching circles so that all three
circles touch each other and have a common tangent? What is the
exact radius of the smallest circle?
Problem
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A circle with radius 1 and a circle with radius 2 touch at a point. A third circle fits between these two circles so that all three touch each other and all three have a common tangent. What is the radius of the smallest circle?
Getting Started
Student Solutions
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Rosalind of Madras College sent in this solution, well done Rosalind.
All three circles touch each other and have a common tangent $DFE$. The radius of the baby circle is $r$ and the radii of the other circles are $BE = 1$ unit and $AD = 2$ units. So $AC = 1$ unit, $AB = 3$ units, $AH = 2 - r$, $AR = 2 +r$, $BR = 1 + r$ and $BG = 1 - r$. Using Pythagoras Theorem: