DSQ: Calculating the equation of a circle - GMAT Quantitative

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Question

What is the equation of a given circle on the coordinate plane?

Statement 1: Its center is at the origin.

Statement 2: One of its diameters has endpoints and .

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Answer

You cannot determine the equation of a circle knowing only the center, as in Statement 1.

But given the coordinates of any diameter of a circle, as in Statement 2, you can use the midpoint formula to find the center, and the distance formula to find the distance from the center to either endpoint - this is the radius. Once you know the center and the radius, just apply them to the standard form of the equation of a circle.

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