Equation of a circle that touches the x-axis at \( (9, 0) \) and the line \( y = 14 \).
1. Step 1: Understand the general equation of a circle:
The general equation of a circle is:
\[
(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2
\]
where \( (h, k) \) is the center of the circle, and \( r \) is the radius.
2. Step 2: Use the information about the x-axis contact:
Since the circle touches the x-axis at \( (9, 0) \), the radius of the circle is the distance from the center \( (h, k) \) to the x-axis, which is equal to \( k \) (the y-coordinate of the center).
3. Step 3: Use the information about the line \( y = 14 \):
The distance from the center of the circle to the line \( y = 14 \) must also be the radius. The distance from a point \( (h, k) \) to a line \( y = c \) is \( |k - c| \). Therefore, the radius \( r = |k - 14| \).
4. Step 4: Set up the system of equations:
Since the radius is both \( k \) and \( |k - 14| \), we equate these two expressions:
\[
k = |k - 14|
\]
Solving this gives \( k = 7 \).
5. Step 5: Find the center and radius:
The center of the circle is \( (9, 7) \), and the radius is \( 7 \).
6. Step 6: Write the equation of the circle:
The equation of the circle is:
\[
(x - 9)^2 + (y - 7)^2 = 7^2
\]