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Geometry And Trigonometry · Circle Theorems And Equations

SAT Circle Theorems And Equations Practice Questions (Free + Explanations) | Quiz 7

Question 12345 of 5

Question 1 of 5

A circle in the -plane passes through the points and . The tangent line to the circle at has equation . Which statement must be true?

Explanation

The tangent line at has slope , so the radius to the point of tangency must be perpendicular to that line and therefore have slope . Since the circle passes through and , its center must also lie on the perpendicular bisector of the segment joining those points. The midpoint of and is , and because the segment is horizontal, its perpendicular bisector is the vertical line . The radius line through with slope has equation , or . Intersecting this line with gives , so the center is . The radius is the distance from to :

Therefore, the statement that must be true is that the circle has radius .

Concept summary

A circle's radius to a point of tangency is perpendicular to the tangent line, and the center is also equidistant from any two points on the circle, so it lies on the perpendicular bisector of the chord joining them.

Question 2 of 5

A city park is building a circular splash pad with a radius of 6 feet. To place a ring of lights evenly around the outer edge, workers need to know the distance around the splash pad. Which of the following is closest to that distance, in feet?

Explanation

The distance around a circle is its circumference, given by the formula . The radius of the splash pad is 6 feet, so substitute into the formula: . Therefore, the correct answer is .

Concept summary

For a circle, the circumference is the distance around it and is found with , where is the radius.

Question 3 of 5

On a coordinate grid, a circular garden has center . A sprinkler is placed at the point on the edge of the garden. Which equation represents the boundary of the garden?

Explanation

A circle with center has equation . Here, the center is , so the equation must begin as . To find , use the point on the circle:

Therefore, the boundary of the garden is .

Concept summary

To write a circle's equation, use , where is the center and is found from the distance from the center to any point on the circle.

Question 4 of 5

A city plans to build a circular jogging path around a small garden. On a coordinate map used by the survey team, the path must pass through the points and , and the center of the path lies on the line . Which equation could represent the path?

Explanation

Because the circular path passes through and , the center must lie on the perpendicular bisector of the segment joining those points. The midpoint of the segment is

Since the segment is horizontal, its perpendicular bisector is the vertical line . The center is also given to lie on , so substitute into that line:

Therefore, the center is . The radius is the distance from to either given point, such as :

So the equation is

which is choice A.

Concept summary

To find a circle from two points and a condition on the center, locate the center as the intersection of the perpendicular bisector of the chord and the given line, then compute the radius from the center to either point.

Question 5 of 5

A circle is graphed in the -plane with center and radius . Which equation represents this circle?

Explanation

The standard form of a circle with center and radius is . Here, the center is , so and . Substituting gives , which simplifies to . Therefore, choice A is correct.

Concept summary

For a circle centered at with radius , use . Be careful with sign changes inside the parentheses and remember to square the radius.

Your results

0of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

500-550

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

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Your results

1of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

500-550

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

2of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

600-650

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

3of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

600-650

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

4of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

700+

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

5of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

700+

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice