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Lesson 16 of 18

The big picture

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6 min

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Most rules here start from one point: the centre.

Circles — thirteen ideas on one screen
IdeaRememberExample
The four namesChord straight, arc curved, segment one chord, sector two radii.A slice from the centre is a sector.
Chord and centreTake a chord that is not a diameter. A 90° line from the centre meets it at its middle.30 cm stick, 17 cm radius: 8 cm out.
Equal chordsSame distance out, same length. Further out, shorter.7 cm out gives 48 cm; 24 cm out gives 14 cm.
Twice at the centreThe centre angle is double the edge angle on the same arc.100° at the centre, 50° at the rim.
Same segmentOne arc, one fixed angle, everywhere on it.P and Q on one arc both read 50°.
On a diameter180° at the centre gives exactly 90° at the rim.AB a diameter: angle ACB is 90°.
Four on one circleOpposite angles of a cyclic quadrilateral total 180°.85° and 95° are opposite: 85 + 95 = 180.
Concyclic testTake the circle through three points, measure the fourth. Or add opposite angles.(2, 1.5), radius 2.5: the fourth is 2.5 out.
CircumcentreTwo perpendicular bisectors cross at the centre.A right angle puts it on the longest side.
Two pointsA circle passes through A and B. Its centre lies on the perpendicular bisector of AB.Centres (0, 0) and (0, 4): radii 3 and 5.
TurningA circle looks the same after any turn about its centre. Every diameter is a mirror line.A square fits after 90°, a hexagon after 60°.
Equal anglesIn one circle, equal angles at the centre give equal chords.90° in a circle of radius 10 cm: a chord of 14.1 cm.
One sideAB makes equal angles at C and D. C and D are on the same side of line AB. Then A, B, C and D lie on one circle.A = (0, 0), B = (8, 0): 53.1° at C and at D.

This is Chapter 5. It is called I'm Up and Down, and Round and Round.

The centre matters in most of these ideas. Some measure a length from the centre. Some measure an angle at the centre.