Question 31·Medium·Circles
In the -plane, points and are the endpoints of a diameter of a circle. Which of the following is the equation of the circle?
For circle problems where you are given endpoints of a diameter, immediately think “midpoint and distance.” First, use the midpoint formula to get the center . Second, use the distance formula on the two endpoints to find the diameter, then divide by to get the radius and square it for . Finally, plug , , and into and quickly match the signs and constant term to the answer choices, watching for common traps like using the diameter instead of the radius or flipping signs in and .
Hints
Think about the circle’s center
If you are given the endpoints of a diameter, where is the center of the circle located relative to those two points?
Use the midpoint formula
Use the midpoint formula on and to find the center of the circle.
Find the radius from the endpoints
Compute the distance between and to get the diameter. How do you get the radius from the diameter, and what does that tell you about ?
Match to standard form
Once you know the center and , plug them into and look for the answer choice with matching signs and constant term.
Desmos Guide
Plot the diameter endpoints
Enter the points A = (4,-2) and B = (10,6) in Desmos. You can type them as A=(4,-2) and B=(10,6) to see them on the graph.
Find the midpoint (the center) numerically
In the expression list, type (4+10)/2 on one line and (-2+6)/2 on another. Desmos will show the simplified values; together they give you the coordinates of the circle’s center .
Compute the distance between A and B
Type sqrt((10-4)^2 + (6-(-2))^2) in Desmos. The result is the length of the diameter; divide this by 2 in another line to get the radius.
Build the circle equation and compare
Using the values of , , and you found, mentally form . Compare that structure—especially the signs on and and the value of —with each answer choice to see which one matches.
Step-by-step Explanation
Recall the standard equation of a circle
In the coordinate plane, a circle with center and radius has equation
So we need to find the center and the radius of the circle whose diameter has endpoints and .
Find the center using the midpoint formula
The endpoints of a diameter lie on opposite sides of the circle, so the center is the midpoint of segment .
Midpoint of and is
For and :
So and in the circle equation.
Find the radius from the diameter length
The length of is the diameter. Use the distance formula between and :
This is the diameter, so the radius is half of that: , and thus .
Write the circle equation and match the choice
Substitute the center and into the standard form:
This matches answer choice D, so is the correct equation of the circle.