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<font face="Myriad Pro">Dear Patrick,<br>
<br>
here a more PS-tricky solution<br>
<br>
\documentclass{article}<br>
\usepackage{pstricks,pst-plot,pstricks-add}<br>
\begin{document}<br>
\begin{pspicture}(-4.5,-4.5)(4.5,4.5)<br>
\psaxes{-&gt;}(0,0)(-4.5,-4.5)(4.5,4.5)<br>
\psplot[algebraic,plotpoints=500]{-4}{4}{(16-x^2)^(0.5)}<br>
\psplot[algebraic,plotpoints=500]{-4}{4}{-(16-x^2)^(0.5)}<br>
\psplotTangent[algebraic,linecolor=blue]{3}{1}{(16-x^2)^(0.5)}<br>
\end{pspicture} <br>
<br>
alternative<br>
<br>
\begin{pspicture}(-4.5,-4.5)(4.5,4.5)<br>
\psaxes{-&gt;}(0,0)(-4.5,-4.5)(4.5,4.5)<br>
\psplot[polarplot,algebraic,plotpoints=500]{0}{TwoPi}{4}<br>
\psplotTangent[polarplot,algebraic,linecolor=blue]{Pi}{1}{4}<br>
\end{pspicture}<br>
\end{document}<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Juergen<br>
</font><br>
Patrick Drechsler wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:87fxztgyg2.fsf@pdrechsler.de" type="cite">
  <pre wrap="">Patrick Drechsler <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:patrick@pdrechsler.de">&lt;patrick@pdrechsler.de&gt;</a> writes:

  </pre>
  <blockquote type="cite">
    <pre wrap="">what is the best way to draw a tangent to \psellipse or \pscircle at
certain coordinates? And how does one retreive these coordinates?
    </pre>
  </blockquote>
  <pre wrap=""><!---->
Using pst-eucl solved the problem at hand.

For the record:

--8&lt;---------------cut here---------------start-------------&gt;8---
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pstricks}
\usepackage{pst-eucl}
\usepackage{pstricks-add}% needed for \psRelLine
\SpecialCoor%
\begin{document}
\begin{pspicture}[showgrid=true](-3,-3)(2.5,2)
  %% Circle:
  \pstGeonode(0,0){O}%
  \pstGeonode(2,0){A}%
  \pstCircleOA{O}{A}% draw circle
  %% Line:
  \pstGeonode[PosAngle=135](-2,-1.5){W1}%
  \pstGeonode[PosAngle=135](3,-1.5){W2}%
  \psline[linewidth=0.5pt,linecolor=gray](W1)(W2)% draw line
  %% Intersection between line and circle:
  \pstInterLC[PosAngleA=-90,PosAngleB=-45]{W1}{W2}{O}{A}{SP1}{SP2}
  %% Secant between the above intersection points SP1 and SP2:
  \psline[linecolor=blue](SP1)(SP2)
  %% Draw radius:
  \psline[linecolor=cyan](O)(SP1)
  %% Tangent:
  \psRelLine[linecolor=red,angle=90](SP1)(O){0.5}{EndnodeA}
  \psRelLine[linecolor=red,angle=-90](SP1)(O){0.5}{EndnodeB}
  \rput([offset=-.3]EndnodeB){{\color{red}tangent}}
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}
--8&lt;---------------cut here---------------end---------------&gt;8---

There are probably more elegant ways of doing this.

Cheers,

Patrick 
  </pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="65">-- 
  j&uuml;rgen gilg
  austr. 59
  70376 stuttgart

tel       0711-59 27 88
e-mail    <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gilg@acrotex.net">gilg@acrotex.net</a>
website   <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.acrotex.net">www.acrotex.net</a>
          <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.gilligan-online.de">www.gilligan-online.de</a>
          <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.brueckenkurs-physik.de">www.brueckenkurs-physik.de</a></pre>
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