MATHONGO – FORMULA SHEET – CIRCLE

Equation to the circle

(a) The equation to the circle having its centre at Oh, k  and radius r is

x  h2  y  k 2  r 2 . Any point P on this circle is h  r cos, k  r sin, where 

is the angle made by OP with the x-axis.

(b) If the centre is the origin and radius is r, the equation of the circle is x 2  y 2  r 2 .

Any point on this circle can be taken as r cos, r sin , where  is the parameter
of the point.

(c) The general equation to the circle is x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 . Its centre is

 g,  f  and radius is g2  f 2  c .

(d) ax 2  2hxy  by 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 represents a circle if a = b and h = 0. To find

the centre and radius of this circle, reduce it to the form

2g 2f c
x2  y 2  x y  0
a a a

 g f g 2  f 2  ca
Centre is   ,   and radius is
 a a a

(e) Equation to the circle described on the line joining the points x1, y1  and x2 , y 2 

as a diameter is x  x1 x  x2   y  y1 y  y 2   0 .

The length of the tangent from the point

(i) x1, y1  to the circle x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 is x12  y12  2gx1  2fy1  c .

(ii) The point x1, y1  lies outside, on or inside the circle x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0

according as x12  y12  2gx1  2fy1  c , ,  0 respectively.

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MATHONGO – FORMULA SHEET – CIRCLE

Tangent to the circle

(a) (i) Equation of the tangent to the circle x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 at x1, y1  is

xx1  yy1  gx  x1   f y  y1   c  0 .

(ii) Condition for the line y  mx  c to touch the circle x 2  y 2  a2 is


c 2  a2 1 m2 . 
(b) The equation of a tangent to the circle x 2  y 2  a2 is y  mx  a 1 m2 .

(c) The equation of a tangent to the circle x 2  y 2  a2 at (a cos, a sin) is

x cos  y sin  a .

Two or more circles

(a) Let d be the distance between the centres of two circles with radii r1, r2 .

(i) If d  r1  r2 , one circle lies completely inside the other circle. They do not
have any common tangent.

(ii) If d  r1  r2 , the two circles do not intersect. They have four common
tangents; two are called direct common tangents and two transverse common
tangents.

(iii) If r1  r2  d  r1  r2 , the two circles intersect at two distinct points and circles
have only two direct common tangents.

(iv) If d  r1  r2 , the two circles touch one another externally and the point of

contact divides the line joining the centres internally in the ratio r1 : r2 . Three

common tangents and tangent at their point of contact is S1  S2 = 0.

(v) If d  r1 ~ r2 , the two circles touch one another internally and the point of

contact divides the line joining the centres externally in the ratio r1 : r2 .

(b) Let S  x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 and S  x 2  y 2  2g1x  2f1y  c1  0 be the

equations of two circles. Then the two circles will cut each other orthogonally if
2gg 1  2ff1  c  c1 .

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MATHONGO – FORMULA SHEET – CIRCLE

(c) (i) If S = 0 and S  0 are the equations of two circles, then S S  0 is the
equation of the radical axis. However, if the two circles S  0, S  0 intersect

their radical axis coincides with the common chord. Therefore S S  0 is
the equation of common chord of the intersecting circles.
(ii) Equation of a circle passing through the points of intersection of circles S = 0
and S  0 can be written as S  kS  0 , where k is a real number.

(iii) The radical axes of three circles taken in pairs are concurrent and the point of
concurrency is the radical centre of the three circles.

(iv) Normal of a circle always passes through centre of the circle.

(v) Centre of a circle touching two intersecting lines lie on their angle bisectors.

(vi) Let S  x 2  y 2  2gx  2fy  c  0 and L  lx  my  n  0 , then S  L  0

is family of circles passing through intersection points of a circle S = 0 and
line L = 0.

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