Other tags that relate to Circles in Circles
Generalising. Simultaneous equations. Pythagoras' theorem. 2D shapes and their properties. Circle properties and circle theorems. Investigations. Creating and manipulating expressions and formulae. Sine, cosine, tangent. Mathematical reasoning & proof. Regular polygons and circles.There are 44 results
Broad Topics > Angles, Polygons, and Geometrical Proof > Circle properties and circle theorems
Circles in Circles
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
This pattern of six circles contains three unit circles. Work out the radii of the other three circles and the relationship between them.
Just Touching
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
Three semi-circles have a common diameter, each touches the other two and two lie inside the biggest one. What is the radius of the circle that touches all three semi-circles?
Escriptions
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
For any right-angled triangle find the radii of the three escribed circles touching the sides of the triangle externally.
Incircles
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
The incircles of 3, 4, 5 and of 5, 12, 13 right angled triangles have radii 1 and 2 units respectively. What about triangles with an inradius of 3, 4 or 5 or ...?
Circle Box
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
It is obvious that we can fit four circles of diameter 1 unit in a square of side 2 without overlapping. What is the smallest square into which we can fit 3 circles of diameter 1 unit?
Belt
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
A belt of thin wire, length L, binds together two cylindrical welding rods, whose radii are R and r, by passing all the way around them both. Find L in terms of R and r.
Sitting Pretty
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
A circle of radius r touches two sides of a right angled triangle, sides x and y, and has its centre on the hypotenuse. Can you prove the formula linking x, y and r?
Salinon
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
This shape comprises four semi-circles. What is the relationship between the area of the shaded region and the area of the circle on AB as diameter?
Lunar Angles
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
What is the sum of the angles of a triangle whose sides are circular arcs on a flat surface? What if the triangle is on the surface of a sphere?
Three Four Five
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Two semi-circles (each of radius 1/2) touch each other, and a semi-circle of radius 1 touches both of them. Find the radius of the circle which touches all three semi-circles.
Similarly So
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
ABCD is a square. P is the midpoint of AB and is joined to C. A line from D perpendicular to PC meets the line at the point Q. Prove AQ = AD.
Encircling
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
An equilateral triangle is sitting on top of a square. What is the radius of the circle that circumscribes this shape?
Cyclic Quadrilaterals
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Draw some quadrilaterals on a 9-point circle and work out the angles. Is there a theorem?
Three Balls
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
A circle has centre O and angle POR = angle QOR. Construct tangents at P and Q meeting at T. Draw a circle with diameter OT. Do P and Q lie inside, or on, or outside this circle?
Fixing It
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
A and B are two fixed points on a circle and RS is a variable diamater. What is the locus of the intersection P of AR and BS?
Kissing
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
Two perpendicular lines are tangential to two identical circles that touch. What is the largest circle that can be placed in between the two lines and the two circles and how would you construct it?
Cyclic Quad Jigsaw
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
A picture is made by joining five small quadrilaterals together to make a large quadrilateral. Is it possible to draw a similar picture if all the small quadrilaterals are cyclic?
Medallions
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Three circular medallions fit in a rectangular box. Can you find the radius of the largest one?
Long Short
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
What can you say about the lengths of the sides of a quadrilateral whose vertices are on a unit circle?
Circle Theorems
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
This set of resources for teachers offers interactive environments which support work on properties of angles in circles at Key Stage 4.
Partly Circles
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
What is the same and what is different about these circle questions? What connections can you make?
Incircles Explained
Age 16 to 18
This article is about triangles in which the lengths of the sides and the radii of the inscribed circles are all whole numbers.
Flower
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
Six circles around a central circle make a flower. Watch the flower as you change the radii in this circle packing. Prove that with the given ratios of the radii the petals touch and fit perfectly.
Circle Scaling
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Describe how to construct three circles which have areas in the ratio 1:2:3.
Lens Angle
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Find the missing angle between the two secants to the circle when the two angles at the centre subtended by the arcs created by the intersections of the secants and the circle are 50 and 120 degrees.
Circumnavigation
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
The sides of a triangle are 25, 39 and 40 units of length. Find the diameter of the circumscribed circle.
Baby Circle
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
A small circle fits between two touching circles so that all three circles touch each other and have a common tangent? What is the exact radius of the smallest circle?
Crescents and Triangles
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you find a relationship between the area of the crescents and the area of the triangle?
Some(?) of the Parts
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
A circle touches the lines OA, OB and AB where OA and OB are perpendicular. Show that the diameter of the circle is equal to the perimeter of the triangle
Compare Areas
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Which has the greatest area, a circle or a square, inscribed in an isosceles right angle triangle?
Strange Rectangle
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
ABCD is a rectangle and P, Q, R and S are moveable points on the edges dividing the edges in certain ratios. Strangely PQRS is always a cyclic quadrilateral and you can find the angles.
Mapping the Wandering Circle
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
In the diagram the point P can move to different places around the dotted circle. Each position P takes will fix a corresponding position for P'. As P moves around on that circle what will P' do?
Circumspection
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
M is any point on the line AB. Squares of side length AM and MB are constructed and their circumcircles intersect at P (and M). Prove that the lines AD and BE produced pass through P.
The Line and Its Strange Pair
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
In the diagram the point P' can move to different places along the dotted line. Each position P' takes will fix a corresponding position for P. If P' moves along a straight line what does P do ?
Set Square
Age 16 to 18 Challenge Level:
A triangle PQR, right angled at P, slides on a horizontal floor with Q and R in contact with perpendicular walls. What is the locus of P?
Interacting with the Geometry of the Circle
Age 5 to 16
Jennifer Piggott and Charlie Gilderdale describe a free interactive circular geoboard environment that can lead learners to pose mathematical questions.
Triangle Incircle Iteration
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Keep constructing triangles in the incircle of the previous triangle. What happens?
Tricircle
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
The centre of the larger circle is at the midpoint of one side of an equilateral triangle and the circle touches the other two sides of the triangle. A smaller circle touches the larger circle and. . . .
The Cyclic Quadrilateral
Age 11 to 16
This gives a short summary of the properties and theorems of cyclic quadrilaterals and links to some practical examples to be found elsewhere on the site.
Circles in Quadrilaterals
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Explore when it is possible to construct a circle which just touches all four sides of a quadrilateral.
Bicentric Quadrilaterals
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Investigate the properties of quadrilaterals which can be drawn with a circle just touching each side and another circle just touching each vertex.
Arrh!
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Triangle ABC is equilateral. D, the midpoint of BC, is the centre of the semi-circle whose radius is R which touches AB and AC, as well as a smaller circle with radius r which also touches AB and AC. . . .
Perfect Eclipse
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Use trigonometry to determine whether solar eclipses on earth can be perfect.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.