Circle 1 has center at (0, 0)
The tangent passes through the center and point (1, -2).
Equation of tangent at (1, -2):
If the same line is tangent to circle 2 then they have one common point.
Solve the system:
Substitute x:
We see only one point of contact, (3, -1), this proves the line is tangent to circle 2 as well.
Given circle:
Rewrite the equation of the circle as:
The center is (7/6, 1) the radius is √229/36
The length of the tangent t is the leg of the right triangle with another leg r being the radius and the hypotenuse d being the distance between the center and the external point: