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: rr)

Diameter: Distance across circle through center (symbol: dd) d=2rd = 2r

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: C=2πr=πdC = 2\pi r = \pi d

Area

A=πr2A = \pi r^2

Arc Length

For a central angle of θ\theta degrees: Arc length=θ360°×2πr\text{Arc length} = \frac{\theta}{360°} \times 2\pi r

📚 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: C=2πr=2π(5)=10πC = 2\pi r = 2\pi(5) = 10\pi

Area: A=πr2=π(5)2=25πA = \pi r^2 = \pi(5)^2 = 25\pi

Answer: Circumference = 10π10\pi (or ≈ 31.4), Area = 25π25\pi (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 45°45°.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Find the radius r=d2=162=8r = \frac{d}{2} = \frac{16}{2} = 8

Step 2: Use arc length formula Arc length=θ360°×2πr\text{Arc length} = \frac{\theta}{360°} \times 2\pi r

=45360×2π(8)= \frac{45}{360} \times 2\pi(8)

=18×16π= \frac{1}{8} \times 16\pi

=2π= 2\pi

Answer: Arc length is 2π2\pi (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: 82+(c2)2=1028^2 + \left(\frac{c}{2}\right)^2 = 10^2

64+c24=10064 + \frac{c^2}{4} = 100

c24=36\frac{c^2}{4} = 36

c2=144c^2 = 144

c=12c = 12

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