By Mansi Yadav

Verified by Ajay Kumar

In an optics lab, two precision circular mirrors with radii 6 cm and 10 cm are mounted on a flat bench with their centers exactly 20 cm apart. A laser beam is directed such that it just grazes the edge of both mirrors — touching each mirror tangentially from the outside — forming a direct common external tangent path. What is the length of this direct common external tangent between the two mirrors?

  1. 18.9 cm

  2. 19 cm

  3. 19.6 cm

  4. 20 cm

Answer: C

Solution

Solution: For a common external tangent, \(L=\sqrt{d^2-(r_2-r_1)^2}\). Here, \(d=20\), \(r_1=6\), and \(r_2=10\). Therefore, \(L=\sqrt{20^2-(10-6)^2}=\sqrt{400-16}=\sqrt{384}\approx19.6\) cm. Trick: For an external tangent, use the difference of the radii in the Pythagorean formula.

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