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Tangent Line

TangentLine

A straight line is tangent to a given curve f(x) at a point x_0 on the curve if the line passes through the point (x_0,f(x_0)) on the curve and has slope f^'(x_0), where f^'(x) is the derivative of f(x). This line is called a tangent line, or sometimes simply a tangent.

See also

Circle-Circle Tangents, Circle Tangent Line, Secant Line, Tangent, Tangent Plane, Tangent Space, Tangent Vector Explore this topic in the MathWorld classroom

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References

Rhoad, R.; Milauskas, G.; and Whipple, R. Geometry for Enjoyment and Challenge, rev. ed. Evanston, IL: McDougal, Littell & Company, p. 429, 1984.Yates, R. C. "Instantaneous Center of Rotation and the Construction of Some Tangents." A Handbook on Curves and Their Properties. Ann Arbor, MI: J. W. Edwards, pp. 119-122, 1952.

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Tangent Line

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Tangent Line." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/TangentLine.html

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