There are plans to locate a disaster response agency in an area that is prone to tornadic activity. The agency is to be located at equal distances from Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Use a construction method to locate the approximate position of the agency.

(Note: Trace the outline of the two states on your own paper.)

To use:

The construction method to locate the approximate position of the agency.

Definition:

Circumcenter:

The circumcenter of a triangle is the point in the plane equidistant from the three vertices of the triangle. Since a point equidistant from two points lies on the perpendicular bisector of the segment determined by the two points, the circumcenter is the point of concurrency of the three perpendicular bisectors of each side of the triangle.

Procedure used:

STEP 1: We start with the triangle.

STEP 2: Construct the bisector of the line segment WT. Place the compasses on one end of the line segment. Set the compasses width to an approximately two thirds the line length. Without changing the compasses width, draw an arc above and below the line.

STEP 3: Again without changing the compasses width, place the compasses point on the other end of the line. Draw an arc above and below the line so that the arcs cross the first two.

STEP 4: Using a straightedge, draw a line between the points where the arcs intersect. This line is perpendicular to the first line and bisects it.

STEP 5: In the same manner, draw Construct the bisector of the line segment T OKC.

STEP 6: The point where these two perpendiculars intersect is the triangle's circumcenter.

Given:

There are plans to locate a disaster response agency in an area that is prone to tornadic activity. The agency is to be located at equal distances from Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Clarification:

By the given diagram,

The point which is at same distance from the three cities, Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma is circumcenter of triangle formed by joining points of location of three cities.

So we construct the circumcenter of the triangle.

First we trace the point of location of three cities on the paper and join the three points as shown below.

STEP 1: We start with the triangle W T OKC