Circle Basics
Parts of a circle and basic properties
Circle Basics
Definitions
Circle: The set of all points equidistant from a center point.
Radius: Distance from center to any point on the circle (symbol: )
Diameter: Distance across circle through center (symbol: )
Chord: Line segment connecting two points on the circle
Secant: A line that intersects the circle at two points
Tangent: A line that touches the circle at exactly one point
Key Properties
Tangent Property: A tangent line is perpendicular to the radius at the point of tangency.
Chord Property: A perpendicular from the center to a chord bisects the chord.
Equal Chords: Chords equidistant from the center are congruent.
Circumference
The distance around a circle:
Area
Arc Length
For a central angle of degrees:
📚 Practice Problems
1Problem 1easy
❓ Question:
A circle has a radius of 7 cm. Find its diameter and circumference.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Find the diameter: Diameter = 2 × radius Diameter = 2 × 7 Diameter = 14 cm
Step 2: Find the circumference: Circumference = 2πr (or πd) C = 2π(7) C = 14π cm
Step 3: Approximate value (optional): C ≈ 14 × 3.14159 C ≈ 43.98 cm
Answer: Diameter = 14 cm, Circumference = 14π cm (≈ 43.98 cm)
2Problem 2easy
❓ Question:
A circle has a radius of 5. Find the circumference and area.
💡 Show Solution
Circumference:
Area:
Answer: Circumference = (or ≈ 31.4), Area = (or ≈ 78.5)
3Problem 3easy
❓ Question:
A circle has a circumference of 31.4 cm. Find its radius. (Use π ≈ 3.14)
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Use the circumference formula: C = 2πr
Step 2: Substitute known values: 31.4 = 2πr 31.4 = 2(3.14)r 31.4 = 6.28r
Step 3: Solve for r: r = 31.4 / 6.28 r = 5 cm
Step 4: Verify: C = 2π(5) = 10π ≈ 10(3.14) = 31.4 ✓
Answer: The radius is 5 cm
4Problem 4medium
❓ Question:
A circle has diameter 16. Find the length of an arc with central angle .
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Find the radius
Step 2: Use arc length formula
Answer: Arc length is (or ≈ 6.28)
5Problem 5medium
❓ Question:
A circle has an area of 49π square units. Find its radius and circumference.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Use the area formula: Area = πr²
Step 2: Substitute the known area: 49π = πr²
Step 3: Solve for r²: 49 = r² r = √49 r = 7
Step 4: Find the circumference: C = 2πr C = 2π(7) C = 14π
Step 5: Verify the area: A = π(7)² = 49π ✓
Answer: Radius = 7, Circumference = 14π
6Problem 6medium
❓ Question:
Two concentric circles (same center) have radii of 5 cm and 8 cm. Find the area of the ring (annulus) between them.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Understand the problem: Need to find the area between two circles Area of ring = Area of large circle - Area of small circle
Step 2: Find area of large circle: A_large = πr² A_large = π(8)² A_large = 64π cm²
Step 3: Find area of small circle: A_small = πr² A_small = π(5)² A_small = 25π cm²
Step 4: Find area of ring: Area of ring = 64π - 25π Area of ring = 39π cm²
Step 5: Approximate (optional): 39π ≈ 39 × 3.14159 ≈ 122.52 cm²
Answer: The area of the ring is 39π cm² (≈ 122.52 cm²)
7Problem 7hard
❓ Question:
A chord is 8 cm from the center of a circle with radius 10 cm. Find the length of the chord.
💡 Show Solution
Draw a radius to the chord's endpoint and a perpendicular from center to chord.
This creates a right triangle:
- Hypotenuse = radius = 10
- One leg = distance from center = 8
- Other leg = half the chord length
Use Pythagorean Theorem:
Answer: The chord length is 12 cm
8Problem 8hard
❓ Question:
A circular garden has a diameter of 20 meters. A path 2 meters wide surrounds the garden. Find: (a) the area of the garden, (b) the area of the path, and (c) the total area including the path.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Find the radius of the garden: Diameter = 20 m Radius of garden = 20/2 = 10 m
Step 2: Find area of the garden: A_garden = πr² A_garden = π(10)² A_garden = 100π m²
Step 3: Find the outer radius (garden + path): Path width = 2 m Outer radius = 10 + 2 = 12 m
Step 4: Find total area (garden + path): A_total = π(12)² A_total = 144π m²
Step 5: Find area of just the path: A_path = A_total - A_garden A_path = 144π - 100π A_path = 44π m²
Step 6: Approximate values: Garden: 100π ≈ 314.16 m² Path: 44π ≈ 138.23 m² Total: 144π ≈ 452.39 m²
Step 7: Verify: Garden + Path = 100π + 44π = 144π ✓
Answer: (a) Garden area = 100π m² ≈ 314.16 m² (b) Path area = 44π m² ≈ 138.23 m² (c) Total area = 144π m² ≈ 452.39 m²
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