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A triangle is inscribed in a circle such that one side of the triangle is a diameter of the circle. What must be true about the angle…

A triangle is inscribed in a circle such that one side of the triangle is a diameter of the circle. What must be true about the angle opposite that diameter?

Answer and explanation

Answer: C: It must be a right angle (90°).

This is Thales's theorem: an angle inscribed in a semicircle is a right angle. When one side of an inscribed triangle is a diameter, the opposite vertex lies on the circle, and the angle there intercepts a half circle of 180°180°. An inscribed angle is half its intercepted arc, so the angle is 180°2=90°\frac{180°}{2} = 90°. That is choice C. Choice A (60°60°) holds only for special triangles such as an equilateral one, which cannot have a diameter as a side. Choice B is impossible because the angle is exactly 90°90°. Choice D is false because the angle never changes with the other side lengths.

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