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A line from the centre of a circle is drawn perpendicular to a chord. What does it do?
AIt bisects the chord
BIt extends the chord
CIt doubles the chord
DIt shortens the chord
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. It bisects the chord
1. A chord is a straight line joining the ends of an arc.
2. A line drawn from the centre perpendicular to that chord bisects it.
3. So the chord is cut into two pieces of equal length.
4. The reverse also holds, since a line from the centre to the mid-point of a chord is perpendicular to it.
_Source: Siyavula Mathematics Grade 11 (Everything Maths, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 8: Euclidean geometry_
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