Lesson 1.

Definition and Equation

of a Circle

Precalculus
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Have you ridden a Ferris
wheel before? One
distinguishable fact
about this ride is that it
is circular in shape and
the points along the
outer rim of the wheel
have equal distances
from the center.

2
 Learning Competencies
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Define a circle (STEM-PC11AG-1a-2).

● Determine the standard form of equation of

a circle (STEM-PC11AG-1a-3).

3
 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Define a circle.

● Determine the equation of a circle given its center and

radius and vice versa.

● Convert the general equation of a circle into its standard

form and vice versa.

● Solve situational problems involving circle.

4
When can we say that a figure is
a circle?

5
 Circle

Recall that a circle is formed

when a plane perpendicular
to the axis intersects a
double-napped cone.

6
 Circle

The set of points in a plane,

which are all equidistant
from a given point, called
the center, forms a circle.
center

7
 Circle

Any segment with endpoints

at the center and a point on
the circle is a radius of the
circle. 𝑨 radius 𝑪

8
 Circle

Like all the other graphs in the Cartesian plane, a circle

may be represented by an equation.

9
How do you represent the
equation of a circle?

10
 Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

Any segment with endpoints

at the center and a point on
the circle is a radius () of the
circle.

11
 Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

Given the coordinates of a

point on the circle as and the
center of the circle at may be
calculated using the distance
formula.

12
 Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

Squaring both sides of the equation used to calculate the

radius, we get the standard form of equation of a circle
given by

where is the center and is the radius of the circle.

13
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

With Center at With Center at the Origin

14
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

𝟐 𝟐
𝒙 + 𝒚 =𝟏𝟔

15
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

𝟐 𝟐
𝒙 + 𝒚 =𝟗

16
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

𝟐 𝟐
𝒙 + 𝒚 =𝟒

17
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

𝟐 𝟐
𝒙 + 𝒚 =𝟏

18
Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

𝟐 𝟐
𝒙 + 𝒚 =𝟎 . 𝟐𝟓

19
What do you think will happen
to the graph of a circle if ?

20
 Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

If , then the graph is a

single point (not a circle).

21
What do you think will happen
to the graph of a circle if ?

22
 Equation of a Circle in Standard Form

If , then there is no graph

since is imaginary.

23
 Let’s Practice!

Find the equation of the circle with center at the

origin and a radius of 10 units.

24
 Let’s Practice!

Find the equation of the circle with center at and a

radius of units.

25
Try It!

Find the equation of the circle

with center at the origin and a
radius of 12 units.

26
 Let’s Practice!

Find the equation of the circle with center at and a

radius of units.

27
 Let’s Practice!

Find the equation of the circle with center at and a

radius of units.

28
Try It!

Find the equation of the circle

with center at and a radius of
units.

29
 Finding the Center and Radius of a Circle Given Its
Equation

1. Solve for by equating to its corresponding binomial in

the given equation.

30
 Finding the Center and Radius of a Circle Given Its
Equation

1. Solve for by equating to its corresponding binomial in

the given equation.

2. Solve for by equating to its corresponding binomial in

the given equation.

31
 Finding the Center and Radius of a Circle Given Its
Equation

1. Solve for by equating to its corresponding binomial in

the given equation.

2. Solve for by equating to its corresponding binomial in

the given equation.

3. Solve for by equating to its corresponding constant in

the given equation.

32
 Let’s Practice!

Find the center and the radius of the circle whose

equation is

33
 Let’s Practice!

Find the center and the radius of the circle whose

equation is

The center of the circle is at , and its radius measures

units.
34
Try It!

Find the center and radius of the

circle whose equation is

35
Tip

To identify the center of the circle given

by the equation , we can simply get the
additive inverse of and . Therefore, the
center of the circle is at .

36
 Equation of a Circle in General Form

When the standard form of equation of a circle is

expanded, and the terms are arranged in decreasing order
of powers, we get the general form of equation of a
circle given by

where , , and and are not zero at the same time.

37
 Let’s Practice!

Identify the center and the radius of the circle

defined by the equation .

38
 Let’s Practice!

Identify the center and the radius of the circle

defined by the equation .

The center is at , and the radius is .

39
Try It!

Identify the center and radius of the circle

defined by the equation .

40
 Let’s Practice!

Find the general form of the circle illustrated below.

41
 Let’s Practice!

Find the general form of the circle illustrated below.

42
Try It! Find the general form of the circle
illustrated below.

43
 Let’s Practice!

Rowell’s house has a portable Wi-Fi router that can

reach a field of about 50 feet from its location.
Suppose their neighborhood represents the
Cartesian plane, his location is in the origin, and his
house is situated 30 feet north and 10 feet east from
where he is.

a. Find the equation of the circle in general form

which describes the boundary of the Wi-Fi signal.
b. Determine whether he can still connect to their
Wi-Fi at home.
44
 Let’s Practice!
Rowell’s house has a portable Wi-Fi router that can reach a field of about 50 feet
from its location. Suppose their neighborhood represents the Cartesian plane,
his location is in the origin, and his house is situated 30 feet north and 10 feet
east from where he is.

a. Find the equation of the circle in general form which describes the
boundary of the Wi-Fi signal.
b. Determine whether he can still connect to their Wi-Fi at home.

45
 Let’s Practice!
Rowell’s house has a portable Wi-Fi router that can reach a field of about 50 feet
from its location. Suppose their neighborhood represents the Cartesian plane,
his location is in the origin, and his house is situated 30 feet north and 10 feet
east from where he is.

a. Find the equation of the circle in general form which describes the
boundary of the Wi-Fi signal.
b. Determine whether he can still connect to their Wi-Fi at home.

Rowell is 31.62 feet away from his house. This is less

than the radius of the circle. Thus, Rowell can still
connect to their Wi-Fi at home.
46
Try It!

A cellular network company uses towers to

transmit communication information. A
tower located at of the company grid can
transmit signals up to a 7-kilometer radius.
Find the general form of equation of the
boundary this tower can transmit signals
to.

47
 Check Your Understanding

Fill in the table below by finding the standard form

and the general form of the equation of the circle
given the following data.

Given Data Standard Form General Form

1. center at the origin

with a radius of 9 cm

2. center at with a
radius of cm
48
 Check Your Understanding

Find the center and the radius of the circle defined by

each equation.

1.

2.

3.

49
 Check Your Understanding

Analyze and solve the problem below.

The Pampanga Eye currently holds the title for the tallest
Ferris wheel in the Philippines. It is situated in Sky Ranch
Pampanga, a theme park in San Fernando City. The Ferris
wheel is 50 meters in diameter and has a height of 65
meters. Find an equation for the wheel assuming that its
center lies on the 𝑦-axis and that the ground is the 𝑥-axis.

50
 Let’s Sum It Up!

● A circle is formed when a plane perpendicular to the

axis intersects a double-napped cone.

● A circle is the set of all points that are equidistant from

a given point in the plane, called the center.

● Any segment with endpoints at the center and a point

on the circle is a radius of the circle.

51
 Key Formulas

Concept Formula Description

Equation of a Circle Use this formula when

in Standard Form where finding the equation of a
 is the center of the circle given its center and
circle radius.
 is its radius

52
 Key Formulas

Concept Formula Description

This is the form of the

Equation of a Circle in equation when the
General Form standard form is
expanded.

53
Challenge Yourself

In the definition of a circle, explain

why the phrase “in a plane” is
explicitly stated. If this phrase is not
included, what geometric figure will
be formed?

54
 Photo Credits Bibliography
Barnett, Raymond, Michael Ziegler, Karl Byleen, and David
Sobecki. College Algebra with Trigonometry. Boston: McGraw
Hill Higher Education, 2008.

Bittinger, Marvin L., Judith A. Beecher, David J. Ellenbogen,

Slide 2: Sky Ranch, by Miki Mijares is licensed under and Judith A. Penna. Algebra and Trigonometry: Graphs and
CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Models. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2009.

Blitzer, Robert. Algebra and Trigonometry. 3rd ed. Upper

Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hal, 2007.

Larson, Ron. College Algebra with Applications for Business and

the Life Sciences. Boston: MA:Houghton Mifflin, 2009.

Simmons, George F. Calculus with Analytic Geometry. 2nd ed.

New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.

55