Circles

A circle is the set of all points in the plane that are the same distance away from a specific point,
called the center. The center of the circle below is point A. We call this circle “circle A,” and it is
labeled ⨀A.

Parts of a Circle
 The radius of the circle is a straight line drawn from the center to the boundary line or the circumference.
The plural of the word radius is radii.

 The diameter is the line crossing the circle and passing through the center. It is the twice the length of the
radius.

 The circumference of a circle is the boundary line or the perimeter of the circle.

 The chord is a straight line joining two points on the circumference points of a circle. The diameter is a
special kind of chord passing through the center.
 An arc is a part of the circumference between two points or a continuous piece of a circle. The shorter arc
between PP and QQ is called the minor arc PQPQ. The longer arc between PP and QQ is called
the major arc PQPQ.

 A semi-circle is an arc which is half of the circumference.

 A tangent is a straight line which touches the circle. It does not cut the circumference. The point at which it
touches is called the point of contact.

The tangent ray TP−→− and tangent segment TP¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ are also called tangents.
Tangent Circles: Two or more circles that intersect at one point.
Concentric Circles: Two or more circles that have the same center, but different radii.
Congruent Circles: Two or more circles with the same radius, but different centers.

What if you drew a line through a circle from one side to the other that does not pass through the
center? What if you drew a line outside a circle that touched the circle at one point? What would you
call these lines you drew?