Example 5:  PA is tangent to the circle at point A.  Find x:

Solution:  (x + 4)(x + 4) = (x + 12)x

So x2 + 8x + 16 = x2 + 12x

Subtracting x2 from both sides gives

8x + 16 = 12x

So 4x = 16, and we get x = 4.