Circles

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SAT Math › Circles

Questions 1 - 10
1

Two chords of a circle, and , intersect at a point . is twice as long as , , and .

Give the length of .

Insufficient information is given to find the length of .

Explanation

Let stand for the length of ; then the length of is twice this, or . The figure referenced is below:

Chords

If two chords intersect inside the circle, then they cut each other in such a way that the product of the lengths of the parts is the same for the two chords - that is,

Substituting the appropriate quantities, then solving for :

This statement is identically true. Therefore, without further information, we cannot determine the value of - the length of .

2

Find the length of the diameter given the radius is 5.

Explanation

To solve, simply use the formula for the diameter of a circle

where r is 5. Thus,

Remember, the diameter is the longest distance across a circle, and since the radius is 5, you can simply double that. Thus, the answer is 10.

3

A square with a side length of 4 inches is inscribed in a circle, as shown below. What is the area of the unshaded region inside of the circle, in square inches?

Act_math_01

8π - 16

4π-4

8π-4

2π-4

8π-8

Explanation

Using the Pythagorean Theorem, the diameter of the circle (also the diagonal of the square) can be found to be 4√2. Thus, the radius of the circle is half of the diameter, or 2√2. The area of the circle is then π(2√2)2, which equals 8π. Next, the area of the square must be subtracted from the entire circle, yielding an area of 8π-16 square inches.

4

Two chords of a circle, and , intersect at a point . is twice as long as , , and .

Give the length of .

Insufficient information is given to find the length of .

Explanation

Let stand for the length of ; then the length of is twice this, or . The figure referenced is below:

Chords

If two chords intersect inside the circle, then they cut each other in such a way that the product of the lengths of the parts is the same for the two chords - that is,

Substituting the appropriate quantities, then solving for :

This statement is identically true. Therefore, without further information, we cannot determine the value of - the length of .

5

Circle_graph_area3

100_π_

50_π_

25_π_

10_π_

20_π_

Explanation

Circle_graph_area2

6

Circle_graph_area3

100_π_

50_π_

25_π_

10_π_

20_π_

Explanation

Circle_graph_area2

7

A square with a side length of 4 inches is inscribed in a circle, as shown below. What is the area of the unshaded region inside of the circle, in square inches?

Act_math_01

8π - 16

4π-4

8π-4

2π-4

8π-8

Explanation

Using the Pythagorean Theorem, the diameter of the circle (also the diagonal of the square) can be found to be 4√2. Thus, the radius of the circle is half of the diameter, or 2√2. The area of the circle is then π(2√2)2, which equals 8π. Next, the area of the square must be subtracted from the entire circle, yielding an area of 8π-16 square inches.

8

If it is 4:00, what is the measure of the angle between the minute and hour hands of the clock?

120 degrees

90 degrees

45 degrees

125 degrees

100 degrees

Explanation

A clock takes the shape of a circle, which is composed of 360 degrees. There are 12 numbers on a clock that represent the hours. With this in mind, we can say that each number represents an angle. The measure of the angle between each number is given by .

If it is 4:00, then the minute hand is pointing towards 12 while the hour hand points towards 4.

Therefore, we can say that the angle between the two hands is degrees.

Another way to think of this is to imagine the clock at a nearby time. At 3:00, the hands of the clock form a right angle of 90 degrees. Since we know that each number on the clock is separated by 30 degrees, we can simply add 30 to 90 degrees and get 120 degrees for the angle at 4:00.

9

Find the length of the diameter given the radius is 5.

Explanation

To solve, simply use the formula for the diameter of a circle

where r is 5. Thus,

Remember, the diameter is the longest distance across a circle, and since the radius is 5, you can simply double that. Thus, the answer is 10.

10

If it is 4:00, what is the measure of the angle between the minute and hour hands of the clock?

120 degrees

90 degrees

45 degrees

125 degrees

100 degrees

Explanation

A clock takes the shape of a circle, which is composed of 360 degrees. There are 12 numbers on a clock that represent the hours. With this in mind, we can say that each number represents an angle. The measure of the angle between each number is given by .

If it is 4:00, then the minute hand is pointing towards 12 while the hour hand points towards 4.

Therefore, we can say that the angle between the two hands is degrees.

Another way to think of this is to imagine the clock at a nearby time. At 3:00, the hands of the clock form a right angle of 90 degrees. Since we know that each number on the clock is separated by 30 degrees, we can simply add 30 to 90 degrees and get 120 degrees for the angle at 4:00.

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