Circles

• A circle is a set of points in a plane equidistant from a fixed point (the center of
the circle). The perimeter of a circle is called the circumference.
• A circle is a plain figure enclosed by a curved line, every point on which is
equidistant from a point within, called the centre

• A line segment from a circle to its center is a radius.

• A line segment with both end points on a circle is a chord.
• A chord passing though the center of a circle is a diameter.
• A diameter can be viewed as two radii, and hence a diameter’s length is twice
that of a radius.
• A line passing through two points on a circle is a secant.
• A piece of the circumference is an arc
• The area bounded by the circumference and an angle with vertex at the center of
the circle is a sector.
• A tangent line to a circle intersects the circle at only one point. The radius of the
circle is perpendicular to the tangent line at the point of tangency

• Two tangents to a circle from a common exterior point of the circle are congruent
 • An angle inscribed in a semicircle is a right angle
• A central angle has by definition the same measure as its intercepted arc

• An inscribed angle has one-half the measure of its intercepted arc

• The area of a circle is , and its circumference (perimeter) is , where r is

the radius

• On the SAT, is a sufficient approximation for . You don’t need 3.14.

Example: 1

In the figure below, the circle has center O and its radius is 2. What is the length of arc
ACB ?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Solution:

The circumference of the circle is . A central angle has by

definition the same degree measure as its intercepted arc. Hence, arc ACB is also .

Now, the circumference of the circle has .So arc ACB is of the circle’s

circumference. Hence, arc ACB = The answer is (B).

Example 2:
Find the Circumference of the circle with radius 20 cm.
A) 120.5
B) 123.6
C) 125.6
D) 130.6
Solution:
Step 1: Write the formula
Circumference of a circle = 2 r units
Step 2: Plug the known values and calculate circumference
2π r = 2 (22/7) 20
= 2 (3.14) 20
= 125.6 cm

Practice Questions
1) In the figure below, circle P has diameter 2 and circle Q has diameter 1. What is
the area of the shaded region?

A)

B)

C)

D)
E)
2) In the figure below, if O is the center of the circle,then y =

(A) 75
(B) 76
(C) 77
(D) 78
(E) 79
3) In the figure below, O is the center of the circle.Which one of the following must
be true?
(A) PQ > OQ
(B)
(C) PQ = OQ
(D) OQ < OP
(E)
 4) In the figure below, the radius of the larger circle is twice that of the smaller
circle. If the circles are concentric,what is the ratio of the shaded region’s area to
the area of the smaller circle?

(A) 10:1
(B) 9:1
(C) 3:1
(D) 2:1
(E) 1:1
5) Find the Circumference of the circle with radius 32 cm.
A) 150.34 cm
B) 160.34 cm
C) 180.96 cm
D) 200.96 cm

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