NDA Maths · Teaching notes
Circles — NDA Maths
Circles is a compact but reliably tested chapter: 27 PYQs span 2017–2026, and the hard pockets are concentrated in the construction problems — building a circle through given points and reading off inscribed-angle facts. Almost every question is one of three moves: convert the general equation to centre-and-radius form, build a circle from given data (three points, a diameter, a centre on a line, or a family through a chord), or use a circle property (perpendicular from the centre bisects a chord, the angle in a semicircle is a right angle, a tangent is perpendicular to the radius). The notes teach in three movements, foundations first: (1) Circle Equation — what a circle equation is, both standard and general form, how to extract the centre and radius, and the everyday properties (intercepts, chords, touching the axes, two-circle intersection) that most EASY/MODERATE questions test; (2) Circles Through Given Points & Concyclicity — the general-equation system for three points, the perpendicular-bisector and centre-on-a-line methods, the family of circles through a chord, the concyclicity test, and the right-triangle circumcentre shortcut — this is where the HARD marks live; (3) Inscribed Geometry, Tangents & Segments — the angle in a semicircle and the inscribed-angle theorem, circles that touch the axes, inscribed squares, the tangent–normal relationship, and segment areas. Centre-and-radius extraction is the chapter's centre of gravity — get fluent at completing the square (including the divide-by-the-leading-coefficient step) and most of the chapter opens up. Every PYQ is tagged.
Subtopic notes
Circle Equation — Centre, Radius & Properties
11 PYQsA circle is the set of points a fixed distance (the radius) from a fixed point (the centre); its equation comes in two forms, and almost every question starts by reading the centre and radius off that equation.
Open note
Circles Through Given Points & Concyclicity
9 PYQsBuilding a circle from given data — three points, two points plus a constraint on the centre, or a chord — and testing whether a fourth point is concyclic. This is the construction half of the chapter, and where the HARD marks live.
Open note
Inscribed Geometry, Tangents & Segments
7 PYQsThe geometry that lives ON the circle: the angle a chord subtends from the circumference, circles that touch the axes, inscribed squares, the tangent–normal relationship, and the areas of the two segments a chord cuts off.
Open note
PYQ weightage by concept
20 concepts · 27 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
20 concepts · 27 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| General Form — Centre and Radius by Completing the Square | 2 | 7% |
| Diameter Form — Circle From Two Endpoints | 2 | 7% |
| Circles That Touch the Axes | 2 | 7% |
| What a Circle Equation Is | 1 | 4% |
| Intercepts a Circle Cuts on the Axes | 1 | 4% |
| Perpendicular From the Centre Bisects a Chord | 1 | 4% |
| Two Circles — Intersecting, Touching, Separate | 1 | 4% |
| Circle Through the Origin With Given Axis Intercepts | 1 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Extracting Centre and Radius From Three Points | 2 | 7% |
| Concyclicity — Does a Fourth Point Lie on the Circle? | 2 | 7% |
| Building a Circle From Diameter Endpoints | 1 | 4% |
| Circle Through Three Points — the General-Equation System | 1 | 4% |
| Centre on a Given Line — Perpendicular-Bisector Method | 1 | 4% |
| Family of Circles Through a Chord (the S + λL Trick) | 1 | 4% |
| Circumcentre of a Right Triangle — Midpoint of the Hypotenuse | 1 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Inscribed Angle and the Angle in a Semicircle | 2 | 7% |
| Areas of the Minor and Major Segments | 2 | 7% |
| Points Where a Circle Touches the Axes | 1 | 4% |
| A Square Inscribed in a Circle | 1 | 4% |
| Tangent and Normal at a Point of Contact | 1 | 4% |
Formula & revision sheet
20 formulas · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
20 formulas · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formulas (8)
- What a Circle Equation Is · Standard form
- General Form — Centre and Radius by Completing the Square · General form
- Diameter Form — Circle From Two Endpoints · Diameter form
- Intercepts a Circle Cuts on the Axes · Axis intercept lengths
- Perpendicular From the Centre Bisects a Chord · Chord length from centre distance
- Circles That Touch the Axes · Tangency condition
- Two Circles — Intersecting, Touching, Separate · Two distinct intersections
- Circle Through the Origin With Given Axis Intercepts · Circle through origin, intercepts a, b
Watch out for (8)
- Divide by the leading coefficient BEFORE reading g, f, c→ General Form — Centre and Radius by Completing the Square
- Centre is MINUS g and MINUS f→ General Form — Centre and Radius by Completing the Square
- The x-factors and y-factors are separate→ Diameter Form — Circle From Two Endpoints
- Intercept is the GAP between roots, not a single root→ Intercepts a Circle Cuts on the Axes
- Use the NEGATIVE-reciprocal slope for the perpendicular→ Perpendicular From the Centre Bisects a Chord
- Touching an axis is |coordinate| = r, not coordinate = r→ Circles That Touch the Axes
- Both inequalities matter — it's a band, not a single bound→ Two Circles — Intersecting, Touching, Separate
- Through the origin forces the constant term to vanish→ Circle Through the Origin With Given Axis Intercepts
Formulas (7)
- Building a Circle From Diameter Endpoints · Circle on a diameter
- Circle Through Three Points — the General-Equation System · Unknown-coefficient circle
- Extracting Centre and Radius From Three Points · Radius from centre and a point
- Centre on a Given Line — Perpendicular-Bisector Method · Equidistance condition
- Concyclicity — Does a Fourth Point Lie on the Circle? · Concyclicity
- Family of Circles Through a Chord (the S + λL Trick) · Family through a chord
- Circumcentre of a Right Triangle — Midpoint of the Hypotenuse · Right-triangle circumcentre
Watch out for (6)
- Clear fractions, then match the option's scale→ Circle Through Three Points — the General-Equation System
- Compute r² and compare squares — skip the root→ Extracting Centre and Radius From Three Points
- Two through-points give ONE equation, not two→ Centre on a Given Line — Perpendicular-Bisector Method
- An unknown coordinate gives TWO values — keep both→ Concyclicity — Does a Fourth Point Lie on the Circle?
- "Chord as diameter" = the new centre sits on the chord line→ Family of Circles Through a Chord (the S + λL Trick)
- Only works when there IS a right angle→ Circumcentre of a Right Triangle — Midpoint of the Hypotenuse
Formulas (5)
- Inscribed Angle and the Angle in a Semicircle · Inscribed angle
- Points Where a Circle Touches the Axes · Contact points and PQ
- A Square Inscribed in a Circle · Inscribed-square vertices
- Tangent and Normal at a Point of Contact · Opposite end of the diameter
- Areas of the Minor and Major Segments · Minor segment area
Watch out for (6)
- Don't forget the supplementary (obtuse) case→ Inscribed Angle and the Angle in a Semicircle
- A is not pinned to one coordinate→ Inscribed Angle and the Angle in a Semicircle
- The contact point shares ONE coordinate with the centre→ Points Where a Circle Touches the Axes
- Inscribed vs circumscribed — offset is r/√2, not r→ A Square Inscribed in a Circle
- The normal goes through the centre — that's the whole trick→ Tangent and Normal at a Point of Contact
- Segment = sector − triangle (not sector alone)→ Areas of the Minor and Major Segments