Question #N809
A circle with center (2, 1) and radius 5 intersects the x-axis at two points. What is the distance, in units, between these two points?
A. 4
B. 8
C. 10
D. 12
Correct Answer is: C
The distance between the two points where the circle intersects the x-axis is equal to the length of the horizontal diameter of the circle. Since the radius of the circle is 5, the diameter is 2(5) = 10 units. Therefore, the distance between the two points is 10 units.