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Geometry · Chapter 34

Circles

Slices, crusts and touching circles: sectors and arcs, radii that turn tangent circles into right triangles, the power of a point, and the special rules of quadrilaterals inscribed in a circle.

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34.10%

Circle Area

In this section you will be able to find the area of a sector and the length of an arc as a fraction of the whole circle, in degrees or radians.

A slice of pizza is a fraction of the whole pie. If the slice’s angle is 45°, it is 45360=18\frac{45}{360} = \frac18 of the area, and 18\frac18 of the crust too.

Every sector question is one fraction: angle360∘\frac{\text{angle}}{360^\circ}. Multiply it by πr2\pi r^2 for the area, or by 2πr2\pi r for the arc length.

In radians the fraction is θ2π\frac{\theta}{2\pi}, so the arc is rθr\theta and the sector is 12r2θ\frac12 r^2\theta. Shaded-region problems are sums and differences of these pieces.

Exploreplay first, formulas later

Radius 4, angle 90°: arc ≈ 6.28, sector area ≈ 12.57

radius4
angle90°
90°r = 4
arc = 2π ≈ 6.28sector = 4π ≈ 12.57

Radius 4, angle 90°: arc ≈ 6.28, sector area ≈ 12.57

Name it

Theorem 34.1.1 · Area and Circumference

A circle with radius rr has

Area=πr2,Circumference=2πr.\text{Area} = \pi r^2, \qquad \text{Circumference} = 2\pi r.

16 sectors of a radius-2 circle make a near-rectangle about 6.28 by 2: area ≈ 12.57

radius r2
slices16
≈ πr (half the circumference)
6.28 × 2 ≈ 12.57base = half the circumference, height = the radius

16 sectors of a radius-2 circle make a near-rectangle about 6.28 by 2: area ≈ 12.57

Theorem 34.1.2 · Arcs of a circle

For an arc of a circle with radius rr and angle a∘a^\circ:

Area of a sector=πr2×a∘360∘=π×radius2×fraction of the circle in the sector\text{Area of a sector} = \pi r^2 \times \frac{a^\circ}{360^\circ} = \pi \times \text{radius}^2 \times \text{fraction of the circle in the sector}
Length of the arc=2πr×a∘360∘=2π×radius×fraction of the circle in the sector\text{Length of the arc} = 2\pi r \times \frac{a^\circ}{360^\circ} = 2\pi \times \text{radius} \times \text{fraction of the circle in the sector}

Definition 34.1.3 · Angle of an arc

The angle of an arc is the angle that the arc makes at the center of the circle.

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Example 34.1

AMC 10

Two distinct lines pass through the center of three concentric circles of radii 33, 22, and 11. The area of the shaded region in the diagram is 813\frac{8}{13} of the area of the unshaded region. What is the radian measure of the acute angle formed by the two lines? (Note: π\pi radians is 180180 degrees.)

Shaded region builder (its total is revealed at the end of the example)

O
  • θ-wedge, radius 3
  • θ-wedge, radius 2
  • θ-wedge, radius 1
  • Opposite θ-wedge, radius 3
  • Opposite θ-wedge, radius 2
  • Opposite θ-wedge, radius 1
  • Wide wedge, radius 2
  • Wide wedge, radius 1
  • Opposite wide wedge, radius 2
  • Opposite wide wedge, radius 1
  • Circle, radius 3
  • Circle, radius 2
  • Circle, radius 1

Shaded: plus θ-wedge, radius 3, minus θ-wedge, radius 2, plus θ-wedge, radius 1, plus Opposite θ-wedge, radius 3, minus Opposite θ-wedge, radius 2, plus Opposite θ-wedge, radius 1, plus Wide wedge, radius 2, minus Wide wedge, radius 1, plus Opposite wide wedge, radius 2, minus Opposite wide wedge, radius 1

  1. 1

    The whole picture is the biggest circle. What is its area? That is shaded + unshaded.

    Predict first:
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Example 34.2

AMC 10

As shown in the figure, line segment AD‾\overline{AD} is trisected by points BB and CC so that AB=BC=CD=2AB = BC = CD = 2. Three semicircles of radius 11, AEB⌢\overset{\frown}{AEB}, BFC⌢\overset{\frown}{BFC}, and CGD⌢\overset{\frown}{CGD}, have their diameters on AD‾\overline{AD}, and are tangent to line EGEG at EE, FF, and GG, respectively. A circle of radius 22 has its center on FF. The area of the region inside the circle but outside the three semicircles, shaded in the figure, can be expressed in the form

ab⋅π−c+d,\frac{a}{b} \cdot \pi - \sqrt{c} + d,

where aa, bb, cc, and dd are positive integers and aa and bb are relatively prime. What is a+b+c+da + b + c + d?

Shaded region builder (its total is revealed at the end of the example)

ABCDEFGXY
  • Circle at F
  • Semicircle BFC
  • Quarter of AEB
  • Left thin triangle
  • Left 30° sector of F
  • Triangle F, E, X
  • Quarter of CGD
  • Right thin triangle
  • Right 30° sector of F
  • Triangle F, G, Y
  • Semicircle AEB
  • Semicircle CGD

Shaded: plus Circle at F, minus Semicircle BFC, minus Quarter of AEB, plus Left thin triangle, minus Left 30° sector of F, plus Triangle F, E, X, minus Quarter of CGD, plus Right thin triangle, minus Right 30° sector of F, plus Triangle F, G, Y

  1. 1

    Start with the whole circle of radius 2. Its area?

    Predict first:
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Problem 34.5.3

AMC 10

Seven cookies of radius 11 inch are cut from a circle of cookie dough, as shown. Neighboring cookies are tangent, and all except the center cookie are tangent to the edge of the dough. The leftover scrap is reshaped to form another cookie of the same thickness. What is the radius in inches of the scrap cookie?

Problem 34.5.35(additional)

AMC 10

Rectangle PQRSPQRS lies in a plane with PQ=RS=2PQ = RS = 2 and QR=SP=6QR = SP = 6. The rectangle is rotated 90∘90^\circ clockwise about RR, then rotated 90∘90^\circ clockwise about the point SS moved to after the first rotation. What is the length of the path traveled by point PP?

Problem 34.5.19(additional)

AMC 10

This problem also appears in the book as 15.1.8.

Mary divides a circle into 1212 sectors. The central angles of these sectors, measured in degrees, are all integers and they form an arithmetic sequence. What is the degree measure of the smallest possible sector angle?

Problem 34.5.20(additional)

AMC 10

A number of linked rings, each 11 cm thick, are hanging on a peg. The top ring has an outside diameter of 2020 cm. The outside diameter of each of the outer rings is 11 cm less than that of the ring above it. The bottom ring has an outside diameter of 33 cm. What is the distance, in cm, from the top of the top ring to the bottom of the bottom ring?

Contest cornerreal contest problems

Problem 34.5.2

AMC 10

In the figure below, NN congruent semicircles lie on the diameter of a large semicircle, with their diameters covering the diameter of the large semicircle with no overlap. Let AA be the combined area of the small semicircles and BB be the area of the region inside the large semicircle but outside the semicircles. The ratio A:BA : B is 1:181 : 18. What is NN?

Problem 34.5.5

AMC 10

Three circles with radius 22 are mutually tangent. What is the total area of the circles and the region bounded by them, as shown in the figure?

Shaded region: Circle 1 plus Circle 2 plus Circle 3 plus Triangle of centers minus 60° sector 1 minus 60° sector 2 minus 60° sector 3

Figure: Circle 1, Circle 2, Circle 3, Triangle of centers, 60° sector 1, 60° sector 2, 60° sector 3

Problem 34.5.6

AMC 10

The figure below shows 1313 circles of radius 11 within a larger circle. All the intersections occur at points of tangency. What is the area of the region, shaded in the figure, inside the larger circle but outside all the circles of radius 11?

Shaded region: Big circle minus Unit circle 1 minus Unit circle 2 minus Unit circle 3 minus Unit circle 4 minus Unit circle 5 minus Unit circle 6 minus Unit circle 7 minus Unit circle 8 minus Unit circle 9 minus Unit circle 10 minus Unit circle 11 minus Unit circle 12 minus Unit circle 13

Figure: Big circle, Unit circle 1, Unit circle 2, Unit circle 3, Unit circle 4, Unit circle 5, Unit circle 6, Unit circle 7, Unit circle 8, Unit circle 9, Unit circle 10, Unit circle 11, Unit circle 12, Unit circle 13

Problem 34.5.37(additional)

AMC 10

Three semicircles of radius 11 are constructed on diameter AB‾\overline{AB} of a semicircle of radius 22. The centers of the small semicircles divide AB‾\overline{AB} into four line segments of equal length, as shown. What is the area of the shaded region that lies within the large semicircle but outside the smaller semicircles?

Shaded region: Big semicircle minus Left semicircle minus Middle semicircle minus Right semicircle plus Lens part (-1) plus Lens part (0) minus Equilateral triangle plus Lens part (0) plus Lens part (1) minus Equilateral triangle

AB

Figure: Big semicircle, Left semicircle, Middle semicircle, Right semicircle, Lens part (-1), Lens part (0), Equilateral triangle, Lens part (0), Lens part (1), Equilateral triangle

Problem 34.5.42(additional)

AMC 10

Circles AA, BB, and CC each have radius 11. Circles AA and BB share one point of tangency. Circle CC has a point of tangency with the midpoint of AB‾\overline{AB}. What is the area inside circle CC but outside circle AA and circle BB?

Problem 34.5.11

AMC 12

If circular arcs AC⌢\overset{\frown}{AC} and BC⌢\overset{\frown}{BC} have centers at BB and AA, respectively, then there exists a circle tangent to both AC⌢\overset{\frown}{AC} and BC⌢\overset{\frown}{BC}, and to AB‾\overline{AB}. If the length of BC⌢\overset{\frown}{BC} is 1212, then what is the circumference of the circle?

Checkpoint for section 34.1

Get 2 of 3 right to master this section. One try each, no hints.
1

A sector of a circle with radius 66 has a central angle of 60∘60^\circ. What is its area?

2

An arc of a circle with radius 99 has length 4π4\pi. What is the arc's central angle, in degrees?

3

What is 135∘135^\circ in radians?

34.20%

Circle Length

In this section you will be able to turn touching circles and tangent lines into right triangles by drawing every radius.

Two circles touch. The line through their centers passes through the touching point. Draw every radius you can, and right triangles appear.

Three facts do most of the work. Touching circles: the centers are r1+r2r_1 + r_2 apart (outside) or ∣r1−r2∣|r_1 - r_2| apart (inside). A radius to a tangent point is perpendicular to the tangent.

Look: two radii to a common tangent are parallel. Together with the center line they make a right trapezoid, so the tangent has length d2−(r1−r2)2\sqrt{d^2 - (r_1 - r_2)^2}.

Exploreplay first, formulas later

Circles of radii 5 and 3, centers 12 apart: apart (d > r₁ + r₂)

r₁5
r₂3
d12
d = 12AB
apart (d > r₁ + r₂)d = 12, r₁ + r₂ = 8, |r₁ − r₂| = 2

Circles of radii 5 and 3, centers 12 apart: apart (d > r₁ + r₂)

Name it

Concept 34.2.1

In geometry problems with circles, always try to draw all the important radii (that is, connect the center to every important point on the circle).

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Example 34.3

AIME

A circle with diameter PQ‾\overline{PQ} of length 1010 is internally tangent at PP to a circle of radius 2020. Square ABCDABCD is constructed with AA and BB on the larger circle, CD‾\overline{CD} tangent at QQ to the smaller circle, and the smaller circle outside ABCDABCD. The length of AB‾\overline{AB} can be written in the form m+nm + \sqrt{n}, where mm and nn are integers. Find m+nm + n.

  1. 1

    Let OO be the center of the big circle. The circles touch at PP, so OO, the small center and PP are on one line, and QQ is on it too. How far is QQ from OO?

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Example 34.4

AIME

A machine-shop cutting tool has the shape of a notched circle, as shown. The radius of the circle is 50\sqrt{50} cm, the length of ABAB is 66 cm and that of BCBC is 22 cm. The angle ABCABC is a right angle. Find the square of the distance (in centimeters) from BB to the center of the circle.

  1. 1

    Put the center OO at the origin and B=(a,b)B = (a, b), with AA straight above BB and CC to its right. What are AA and CC?

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Problem 34.5.34(additional)

AMC 10

Points AA and BB lie on a circle centered at OO, and ∠AOB=60∘\angle AOB = 60^\circ. A second circle is internally tangent to the first and tangent to both OA‾\overline{OA} and OB‾\overline{OB}. What is the ratio of the area of the smaller circle to that of the larger circle?

Problem 34.5.36(additional)

AMC 10

Circles with centers OO and PP have radii 22 and 44, respectively, and are externally tangent. Points AA and BB on the circle with center OO and points CC and DD on the circle with center PP are such that AD‾\overline{AD} and BC‾\overline{BC} are common external tangents to the circles. What is the area of the concave hexagon AOBCPDAOBCPD?

Problem 34.5.22(additional)

AIME

The diagram shows twenty congruent circles arranged in three rows and enclosed in a rectangle. The circles are tangent to one another and to the sides of the rectangle as shown in the diagram. The ratio of the longer dimension of the rectangle to the shorter dimension can be written as 12(p−q)\frac12\left(\sqrt{p} - q\right) where pp and qq are positive integers. Find p+qp + q.

Contest cornerreal contest problems

Problem 34.5.1

AMC 10

Externally tangent circles with centers at points AA and BB have radii of lengths 55 and 33, respectively. A line externally tangent to both circles intersects ray ABAB at point CC. What is BCBC?

Problem 34.5.4

AMC 10

Two circles of radius 55 are externally tangent to each other and are internally tangent to a circle of radius 1313 at points AA and BB, as shown in the diagram. The distance ABAB can be written in the form mn\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. What is m+nm + n?

Problem 34.5.9

AMC 10/12

Circles C1C_1 and C2C_2 each have radius 11, and the distance between their centers is 12\frac12. Circle C3C_3 is the largest circle internally tangent to both C1C_1 and C2C_2. Circle C4C_4 is internally tangent to both C1C_1 and C2C_2 and externally tangent to C3C_3. What is the radius of C4C_4?

Problem 34.5.21(additional)

AMC 10

A circle of radius 11 is tangent to a circle of radius 22. The sides of △ABC\triangle ABC are tangent to the circles as shown, and the sides AB‾\overline{AB} and AC‾\overline{AC} are congruent. What is the area of △ABC\triangle ABC?

Problem 34.5.24(additional)

AMC 10

In the figure below, semicircles with centers at AA and BB and with radii 22 and 11, respectively, are drawn in the interior of, and sharing bases with, a semicircle with diameter JK‾\overline{JK}. The two smaller semicircles are externally tangent to each other and internally tangent to the largest semicircle. A circle centered at PP is drawn externally tangent to the two smaller semicircles and internally tangent to the largest semicircle. What is the radius of the circle centered at PP?

Problem 34.5.41(additional)

AMC 10

Circles AA, BB and CC are externally tangent to each other, and internally tangent to circle DD. Circles BB and CC are congruent. Circle AA has radius 11 and passes through the center of DD. What is the radius of circle BB?

Problem 34.5.32(additional)

AIME

Circles C1C_1 and C2C_2 are externally tangent, and they are both internally tangent to circle C3C_3. The radii of C1C_1 and C2C_2 are 44 and 1010, respectively, and the centers of the three circles are all collinear. A chord of C3C_3 is also a common external tangent of C1C_1 and C2C_2. Given that the length of the chord is mnp\frac{m\sqrt{n}}{p} where mm, nn, and pp are positive integers, mm and pp are relatively prime, and nn is not divisible by the square of any prime, find m+n+pm + n + p.

Problem 34.5.8

AMC 10

Four congruent semicircles are inscribed in a square of side length 11 so that their diameters are on the sides of the square, one endpoint of each diameter is at a vertex of the square, and adjacent semicircles are tangent to each other. A small circle centered at the center of the square is tangent to each of the four semicircles, as shown below. The diameter of the small circle can be written as (a+b)(c+d)(\sqrt{a} + b)(\sqrt{c} + d), where aa, bb, cc, and dd are integers. What is a+b+c+da + b + c + d?

Checkpoint for section 34.2

Get 2 of 3 right to master this section. One try each, no hints.
1

Circles with radii 77 and 22 have centers 1313 apart. How long is a common external tangent segment (between its two points of tangency)?

2

A circle of radius 33 is internally tangent to a circle of radius 1010. How far apart are their centers?

3

Points AA and BB lie on a circle centered at OO, and ∠AOB=60∘\angle AOB = 60^\circ. A second circle is internally tangent to the first and tangent to both OA‾\overline{OA} and OB‾\overline{OB}. What is the ratio of the area of the smaller circle to that of the larger circle?

34.30%

Power of a Point

In this section you will be able to use the power of a point: every chord or secant through a point gives the same product of lengths.

Draw any chord through a point P. Multiply its two pieces. Turn the chord and do it again: the product never changes. That number is the point’s “power”.

The power of PP is OP2−r2OP^2 - r^2: negative inside the circle, zero on it, positive outside. Every chord or secant through PP has PA⋅PB=∣OP2−r2∣PA \cdot PB = |OP^2 - r^2|.

A tangent is a secant whose two points have merged, so PT2PT^2 is the power too. That is why the two tangents from a point are equal.

Exploreplay first, formulas later

P is inside the circle. PA·PB = 5.85 × 3.72 = 21.75. PC·PD = 3.43 × 6.34 = 21.75. Power r² − OP² = 21.75

line 120°
line 2110°
P
PA·PB = 5.85 × 3.72 = 21.75PC·PD = 3.43 × 6.34 = 21.75r² − OP² = 21.75

P is inside the circle. PA·PB = 5.85 × 3.72 = 21.75. PC·PD = 3.43 × 6.34 = 21.75. Power r² − OP² = 21.75

Name it

Theorem 34.3.1 · Power of a Point for 2 tangents

From a point PP outside a circle, the two tangents to the circle are equal:

PS=PT.PS = PT.

Theorem 34.3.2 · Power of a Point inside the circle

If chords ABAB and CDCD of a circle with center OO and radius rr intersect at a point PP inside the circle, then

PA⋅PB=PC⋅PD=r2−OP2.PA \cdot PB = PC \cdot PD = r^2 - OP^2.

Theorem 34.3.3 · Power of a Point outside the circle

If secants ABAB and CDCD of a circle with center OO intersect at a point PP outside the circle, then

PA⋅PB=PC⋅PD=OP2−r2,PA \cdot PB = PC \cdot PD = OP^2 - r^2,

where rr is the radius of the circle.

Remark 34.3.4

Power of a point is useful whenever a problem mixes circles and chord lengths: two segments of a chord (or secant) through the same point always have the same product.

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Example 34.5

AMC 12

Let AB‾\overline{AB} be a diameter in a circle of radius 525\sqrt2. Let CD‾\overline{CD} be a chord in the circle that intersects AB‾\overline{AB} at a point EE such that BE=25BE = 2\sqrt5 and ∠AEC=45∘\angle AEC = 45^\circ. What is CE2+DE2CE^2 + DE^2?

Power of a point (its total is revealed at the end of the example)

line 10°
line 245°
E
EA·EB = ? (hidden until the end of the example) × ? (hidden until the end of the example) = 43.25EC·ED = ? (hidden until the end of the example) × ? (hidden until the end of the example) = 43.25r² − OP² = 43.25

P is inside the circle. EA·EB = ? × ? = 43.25. EC·ED = ? × ? = 43.25. Power r² − OP² = 43.25

  1. 1

    CE2+DE2=(CE+DE)2−2 CE⋅DE=CD2−2 CE⋅DECE^2 + DE^2 = (CE + DE)^2 - 2\,CE \cdot DE = CD^2 - 2\,CE\cdot DE. First the product: by Power of a Point, CE⋅DE=AE⋅EB=r2−OE2CE \cdot DE = AE \cdot EB = r^2 - OE^2. With OE=OB−BE=52−25OE = OB - BE = 5\sqrt2 - 2\sqrt5, what is it?

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Example 34.6

AIME

Let ABCDABCD be a parallelogram with ∠BAD<90∘\angle BAD < 90^\circ. A circle tangent to sides DA‾\overline{DA}, AB‾\overline{AB}, and BC‾\overline{BC} intersects diagonal AC‾\overline{AC} at points PP and QQ with AP<AQAP < AQ, as shown. Suppose that AP=3AP = 3, PQ=9PQ = 9, and QC=16QC = 16. Then the area of ABCDABCD can be expressed in the form mnm\sqrt{n}, where mm and nn are positive integers, and nn is not divisible by the square of any prime. Find m+nm + n.

  1. 1

    Power of the point AA: the tangent length from AA, squared, equals AP⋅AQAP \cdot AQ. What is the tangent length from AA?

    Predict first:

Contest cornerreal contest problems

Problem 34.5.7

AMC 12

The diameter AB‾\overline{AB} of a circle of radius 22 is extended to a point DD outside the circle so that BD=3BD = 3. Point EE is chosen so that ED=5ED = 5 and line EDED is perpendicular to line ADAD. Segment AE‾\overline{AE} intersects the circle at a point CC between AA and EE. What is the area of △ABC\triangle ABC?

Problem 34.5.10

AMC 10

In △ABC\triangle ABC, AB=86AB = 86, and AC=97AC = 97. A circle with center AA and radius ABAB intersects BC‾\overline{BC} at points BB and XX. Moreover BX‾\overline{BX} and CX‾\overline{CX} have integer lengths. What is BCBC?

Problem 34.5.16

AIME

Rectangles ABCDABCD and EFGHEFGH are drawn such that D,E,C,FD, E, C, F are collinear. Also, A,D,H,GA, D, H, G all lie on a circle. If BC=16BC = 16, AB=107AB = 107, FG=17FG = 17, and EF=184EF = 184, what is the length of CECE?

Problem 34.5.38(additional)

AIME

In the adjoining figure, two circles with radii 88 and 66 are drawn with their centers 1212 units apart. At PP, one of the points of intersection, a line is drawn in such a way that the chords QP‾\overline{QP} and PR‾\overline{PR} have equal length. Find the square of the length of QPQP.

Problem 34.5.39(additional)

AIMEChallenge

Triangle ABCABC is inscribed in circle ω\omega. Points PP and QQ are on side AB‾\overline{AB} with AP<AQAP < AQ. Rays CPCP and CQCQ meet ω\omega again at SS and TT (other than CC), respectively. If AP=4AP = 4, PQ=3PQ = 3, QB=6QB = 6, BT=5BT = 5, and AS=7AS = 7, then ST=mnST = \frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+nm + n.

Checkpoint for section 34.3

Get 2 of 3 right to master this section. One try each, no hints.
1

Chords AB‾\overline{AB} and CD‾\overline{CD} of a circle meet at PP. If PA=4PA = 4, PB=6PB = 6 and PC=3PC = 3, what is PDPD?

2

From a point PP outside a circle, the tangent PT‾\overline{PT} has length 66. A secant from PP meets the circle at AA and BB with PA=4PA = 4 and PA<PBPA < PB. What is PBPB?

3

A point PP is 1313 units from the center of a circle with radius 55. How long is a tangent segment from PP to the circle?

34.40%

Cyclic Quadrilaterals

In this section you will be able to spot cyclic quadrilaterals and use their angle rule, Ptolemy's theorem and Brahmagupta's formula.

Four points on a circle are special. Opposite angles add to 180°, and the diagonals know the sides: that is Ptolemy’s theorem.

Look for hidden circles. Two right angles that face each other, or two equal angles looking at the same side, mean the four points are concyclic.

Ptolemy turns side lengths into diagonals: AC⋅BD=AB⋅CD+AD⋅BCAC \cdot BD = AB \cdot CD + AD \cdot BC. For a rectangle it is just the Pythagorean theorem.

Exploreplay first, formulas later

Cyclic quadrilateral ABCD in a circle of radius 5: opposite angles ∠A + ∠C = 97.5° + 82.5° = 180° and ∠B + ∠D = 180°

ABCD
∠A + ∠C = 98° + 83° = 180°∠B + ∠D = 80° + 100° = 180°

Cyclic quadrilateral ABCD in a circle of radius 5: opposite angles ∠A + ∠C = 97.5° + 82.5° = 180° and ∠B + ∠D = 180°

Name it

Theorem 34.4.1 · Properties of a cyclic quadrilateral

In a cyclic quadrilateral,

sum of opposite angles=180∘.\text{sum of opposite angles} = 180^\circ.

You can draw a circle around the quadrilateral and use angle-chasing properties of circles, like the inscribed angle theorem. (This is Theorem 29.1.21 again.)

Concept 34.4.2

Sometimes a quadrilateral is not said to be inscribed in a circle. If its opposite angles add to 180∘180^\circ, or its angles satisfy the inscribed angle theorem (for example, two equal angles looking at the same side), then it is cyclic. Then you can use every property of cyclic quadrilaterals, and of circles, because the quadrilateral can be inscribed in a circle.

Cyclic quadrilateral: angle A + angle C = 90° + 90° = 180°, and angle B + angle D = 180° too

90° + 90° = 180°
92.5° + 87.5° = 180°

Angle A is half of the arc it faces, angle C is half of the other arc. The two arcs make the whole circle, 360°.

Angle A = 90°, angle C = 90°: they add to 180°. Angle B = 92.5°, angle D = 87.5°: they add to 180° too.

Theorem 34.4.3 · Ptolemy's Theorem

In a cyclic quadrilateral ABCDABCD, the product of the diagonals equals the sum of the products of the two pairs of opposite sides:

AC⋅BD=AB⋅CD+AD⋅BC.AC \cdot BD = AB \cdot CD + AD \cdot BC.

Theorem 34.4.4 · Brahmagupta's Formula

A cyclic quadrilateral with side lengths a,b,c,da, b, c, d has area

A=(s−a)(s−b)(s−c)(s−d),A = \sqrt{(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)(s-d)},

where s=a+b+c+d2s = \dfrac{a+b+c+d}{2} is the semiperimeter.

To find the area of a cyclic quadrilateral:

  1. Find the perimeter and divide by 2.
  2. Subtract each side length from it to get 4 values.
  3. Multiply your 4 values.
  4. Take the square root of the product.

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Example 34.7

AMC 10

Isosceles triangle ABCABC has AB=AC=36AB = AC = 3\sqrt6, and a circle with radius 525\sqrt2 is tangent to line ABAB at BB and to line ACAC at CC. What is the area of the circle that passes through vertices AA, BB, and CC?

  1. 1

    Let OO be the center of the radius-525\sqrt2 circle and draw radii OBOB, OCOC. What are ∠ABO\angle ABO and ∠ACO\angle ACO?

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Example 34.8

AIME

A hexagon is inscribed in a circle. Five of the sides have length 8181 and the sixth, denoted by AB‾\overline{AB}, has length 3131. Find the sum of the lengths of the three diagonals that can be drawn from AA.

Cyclic quadrilateral lab (its total is revealed at the end of the example)

quadrilateralABCD
ABCDEF
AC·BD = ? (hidden until the end of the example) × ? (hidden until the end of the example) = ? (hidden until the end of the example)AB·CD + DA·BC = 31 × 81 + ? × 81 = ? (hidden until the end of the example)

Cyclic quadrilateral ABCD in a circle of radius 73.27: opposite angles ∠A + ∠C = 67.11° + 112.89° = 180° and ∠B + ∠D = 180°; Ptolemy AC·BD = ? = AB·CD + AD·BC = ?

  1. 1

    Label the hexagon ABCDEFABCDEF and let x=ACx = AC, y=ADy = AD, z=AEz = AE. Equal arcs give equal chords. Which other diagonals equal zz and yy?

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Problem 34.5.13

AMC 10

A quadrilateral is inscribed in a circle of radius 2002200\sqrt2. Three of the sides of this quadrilateral have length 200200. What is the length of the fourth side?

Problem 34.5.29(additional)

AMC 10

This problem also appears in the book as 34.7.

Isosceles triangle ABCABC has AB=AC=36AB = AC = 3\sqrt6, and a circle with radius 525\sqrt2 is tangent to line ABAB at BB and to line ACAC at CC. What is the area of the circle that passes through vertices AA, BB, and CC?

Contest cornerreal contest problems

Problem 34.5.12

AMC 10

Triangle ABCABC is an isosceles right triangle with AB=AC=3AB = AC = 3. Let MM be the midpoint of hypotenuse BC‾\overline{BC}. Points II and EE lie on sides AC‾\overline{AC} and AB‾\overline{AB}, respectively, so that AI>AEAI > AE and AIMEAIME is a cyclic quadrilateral. Given that triangle EMIEMI has area 22, the length CICI can be written as a−bc\frac{a - \sqrt{b}}{c}, where aa, bb, and cc are positive integers and bb is not divisible by the square of any prime. What is the value of a+b+ca + b + c?

Problem 34.5.23(additional)

AMC 10

Let ABCDABCD be a cyclic quadrilateral. The side lengths of ABCDABCD are distinct integers less than 1515 such that BC⋅CD=AB⋅DABC \cdot CD = AB \cdot DA. What is the largest possible value of BDBD?

Problem 34.5.26(additional)

AMC 10

Triangle ABCABC is equilateral with side length 66. Suppose that OO is the center of the inscribed circle of this triangle. What is the area of the circle passing through AA, OO, and CC?

Checkpoint for section 34.4

Get 2 of 3 right to master this section. One try each, no hints.
1

ABCDABCD is a cyclic quadrilateral with ∠A=75∘\angle A = 75^\circ. What is ∠C\angle C, in degrees?

2

Cyclic quadrilateral ABCDABCD has AB=3AB = 3, BC=4BC = 4, CD=5CD = 5 and DA=6DA = 6. What is AC⋅BDAC \cdot BD?

3

A cyclic quadrilateral has sides 22, 33, 44 and 55. What is its area?

34.5

Practice Problems

In this section you will be able to mix every circle tool of the chapter on contest problems.

The rest of the practice set, from AMC 10 warm-ups to two late AIME problems. Draw the radii first, then decide: sector, tangent, power of a point or cyclic quadrilateral?

Contest cornerreal contest problems

Problem 34.5.14

AMC 12

Semicircle Γ\Gamma has diameter AB‾\overline{AB} of length 1414. Circle Ω\Omega lies tangent to AB‾\overline{AB} at a point PP and intersects Γ\Gamma at points QQ and RR. If QR=33QR = 3\sqrt3 and ∠QPR=60∘\angle QPR = 60^\circ, then the area of △PQR\triangle PQR is abc\frac{a\sqrt{b}}{c}, where aa and cc are relatively prime positive integers, and bb is a positive integer not divisible by the square of any prime. What is a+b+ca + b + c?

Problem 34.5.15

AMC 12

Three concentric circles have radii 11, 22, and 33. An equilateral triangle of side length ss has one vertex on each circle. What is s2s^2?

Problem 34.5.17

AIME

Eight circles of radius 3434 can be placed tangent to BC‾\overline{BC} of △ABC\triangle ABC so that the circles are sequentially tangent to each other, with the first circle being tangent to AB‾\overline{AB} and the last circle being tangent to AC‾\overline{AC}, as shown. Similarly, 20242024 circles of radius 11 can be placed tangent to BC‾\overline{BC} in the same manner. The inradius of △ABC\triangle ABC can be expressed as mn\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+nm + n.

Problem 34.5.18

AMC 10/12Challenge

Let SS be the set of circles in the coordinate plane that are tangent to each of the three circles with equations x2+y2=4x^2 + y^2 = 4, x2+y2=64x^2 + y^2 = 64, and (x−5)2+y2=3(x - 5)^2 + y^2 = 3. What is the sum of the areas of all circles in SS?

Click a choice or type its letter (A–E).

Problem 34.5.25(additional)

AMC 10

In △ABC\triangle ABC, AB=6AB = 6, AC=8AC = 8, BC=10BC = 10, and DD is the midpoint of BC‾\overline{BC}. What is the sum of the radii of the circles inscribed in △ADB\triangle ADB and △ADC\triangle ADC?

Problem 34.5.27(additional)

AMC 12

Triangle ABCABC has AB=27AB = 27, AC=26AC = 26, and BC=25BC = 25. Let II be the intersection of the internal angle bisectors of △ABC\triangle ABC. What is BIBI?

Problem 34.5.28(additional)

AMC 12

Circles with radii 11, 22, and 33 are mutually externally tangent. What is the area of the triangle determined by the points of tangency?

Click a choice or type its letter (A–E).

Problem 34.5.30(additional)

AMC 10

A triangle with sides of 55, 1212, and 1313 has both an inscribed and a circumscribed circle. What is the distance between the centers of those circles?

Problem 34.5.31(additional)

AIME

Let △PQR\triangle PQR be a right triangle with PQ=90PQ = 90, PR=120PR = 120, and QR=150QR = 150. Let C1C_1 be the inscribed circle. Construct ST‾\overline{ST} with SS on PR‾\overline{PR} and TT on QR‾\overline{QR}, such that ST‾\overline{ST} is perpendicular to PR‾\overline{PR} and tangent to C1C_1. Construct UV‾\overline{UV} with UU on PQ‾\overline{PQ} and VV on QR‾\overline{QR} such that UV‾\overline{UV} is perpendicular to PQ‾\overline{PQ} and tangent to C1C_1. Let C2C_2 be the inscribed circle of △RST\triangle RST and C3C_3 the inscribed circle of △QUV\triangle QUV. The distance between the centers of C2C_2 and C3C_3 can be written as 10n\sqrt{10n}. What is nn?

Problem 34.5.33(additional)

AMC 10

Right triangle ABCABC has side lengths BC=6BC = 6, AC=8AC = 8, and AB=10AB = 10. A circle centered at OO is tangent to line BCBC at BB and passes through AA. A circle centered at PP is tangent to line ACAC at AA and passes through BB. What is OPOP?

Problem 34.5.40(additional)

AMC 10

Let AB‾\overline{AB} be a diameter of a circle and let CC be a point on AB‾\overline{AB} with 2⋅AC=BC2 \cdot AC = BC. Let DD and EE be points on the circle such that DC‾⊥AB‾\overline{DC} \perp \overline{AB} and DE‾\overline{DE} is a second diameter. What is the ratio of the area of △DCE\triangle DCE to the area of △ABD\triangle ABD?

Problem 34.5.43(additional)

AMC 12

A collection of circles in the upper half-plane, all tangent to the xx-axis, is constructed in layers as follows. Layer L0L_0 consists of two circles of radii 70270^2 and 73273^2 that are externally tangent. For k≥1k \ge 1, the circles in ⋃j=0k−1Lj\bigcup_{j=0}^{k-1} L_j are ordered according to their points of tangency with the xx-axis. For every pair of consecutive circles in this order, a new circle is constructed externally tangent to each of the two circles in the pair. Layer LkL_k consists of the 2k−12^{k-1} circles constructed in this way. Let S=⋃j=06LjS = \bigcup_{j=0}^{6} L_j, and for every circle CC denote by r(C)r(C) its radius. What is

∑C∈S1r(C)?\sum_{C \in S} \frac{1}{\sqrt{r(C)}}?