Tie a stone to a string and swing it around your head: the stone traces a loop where every point sits the same distance from your hand. That is a circle — the set of all points in a plane at a fixed distance from a fixed point.
The fixed point is the centreO; the fixed distance is the radiusr. For any point P on the circle, OP=r. In locus language, a circle is the locus of a point that moves so that its distance from the centre stays constant.
The standard equation
Put the centre at the origin and let P(x,y) be any point on the circle. Its distance from the centre is x2+y2=r. Squaring both sides:
x2+y2=r2
If the centre sits at (h,k) instead, the distance formula gives the standard form
(x−h)2+(y−k)2=r2
Every choice of centre and radius produces exactly one such equation, and every point satisfying it lies on the circle.
The given condition z+2z−2=6π describes a circle (Apollonius circle) in the complex plane. The locus is a circle with centre on the real axis, specifically at (36−π22(36+π2),0) and radius ∣π2−36∣24π.
The core idea here is that an equation of the form z−bz−a=k, where k>0 and k=1, always represents a circle in the complex plane. This is known as an Apollonius circle — the set of points whose distances to two fixed points are in a constant ratio.
Here, a=2, b=−2, and k=6π. Since π≈3.14, 6π≈0.523, which is not equal to 1, so the locus is indeed a circle. The centre lies on the line joining the two fixed points — in this case, the real axis.
Let’s derive the equation step by step.
Write the condition in algebraic form.
Let z=x+iy, where x,y∈R. Then:
z+2z−2=6π⇒∣z+2∣∣z−2∣=6π.
Cross-multiplying:
6∣z−2∣=π∣z+2∣.
Square both sides to remove square roots.
Squaring is safe because both sides are non-negative:
36∣z−2∣2=π2∣z+2∣2.
Recall ∣z−z0∣2=(x−x0)2+(y−y0)2. So:
36[(x−2)2+y2]=π2[(x+2)2+y2].
Expand and simplify.
36(x2−4x+4+y2)=π2(x2+4x+4+y2).
36x2−144x+144+36y2=π2x2+4π2x+4π2+π2y2.
Bring all terms to one side:
(36−π2)x2+(36−π2)y2−(144+4π2)x+(144−4π2)=0.
Divide through by the common coefficient of x2 and y2.
Since π2≈9.87, 36−π2>0, so we can divide:
x2+y2−36−π2144+4π2x+36−π2144−4π2=0.
Complete the square in x.
The equation is of the form x2+y2−2gx+c=0, where:
2g=36−π2144+4π2⇒g=36−π272+2π2.
Completing the square:
(x−g)2+y2=g2−c.
Here c=36−π2144−4π2. So the radius squared is:
R2=g2−c=(36−π272+2π2)2−36−π2144−4π2.
Simplify R2.
Put everything over a common denominator:
Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.
KEAM 2026Set eng-2026-04184 marksMCQ
Q.The equation of a circle is x2+y2+6x−8y−24=0. If a chord of the circle subtends an angle of 60∘ at the centre of the circle, then the length of the chord is
(A) 7 units
(B) 6 units
(C) 5 units
(D) 8 units
(E) 9 units
›Reveal solutionSolution
r=7; a chord subtending 60∘ has length 2rsin30∘=7.
Rewriting x2+y2+6x−8y−24=0 as (x+3)2+(y−4)2=9+16+24=49, the radius is r=7.
A chord subtending angle 2α=60∘ at the centre has length 2rsinα=2rsin30∘:
Q.If the parametric form of the circle is x=3cosθ+3 and y=3sinθ, then the Cartesian form of the equation of the circle is
(A) x2+y2+6x=0
(B) x2+y2−6x=9
(C) x2+y2+6x=9
(D) x2+y2−6x=0
(E) x2+y2−6x−2y−9=0
›Reveal solutionSolution
Write cosθ=3x−3 and sinθ=3y; using cos2θ+sin2θ=1 gives (x−3)2+y2=9, i.e. x2+y2−6x=0.
Q.Suppose the line joining distinct points P and Q on (x−2)2+(y−1)2=r2 is the diameter of (x−1)2+(y−3)2=4. Then the value of r is
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 1
(D) 9
(E) 4
›Reveal solutionSolution
r=3.
Concept and Intuition
PQ is a diameter of the second circle, so its midpoint is that circle's centre and ∣PQ∣=2×2=4. As a chord of the first circle, use the perpendicular-from-centre relation.
Step-by-Step Solution
Second circle: centre (1,3), radius 2; so midpoint of PQ=(1,3) and ∣PQ∣=4, half-chord =2.
First circle centre (2,1). Distance to midpoint d=(2−1)2+(1−3)2=5. …
Q.For the circle C:x2+y2−6x+2y=0, which of the following is incorrect
(A) the radius of C is 10
(B) (3,−1) lies inside of C
(C) (7,3) lies outside of C
(D) the line x+3y=0 intersects C
(E) one of diameters of C is not along x+3y=0
›Reveal solutionSolution
The incorrect statement is (E): x+3y=0 passes through the centre, so it IS a diameter of C.
Concept and Intuition
C:(x−3)2+(y+1)2=10 has centre (3,−1) and radius 10. Check each claim against these facts.
Q.For i = 1,2,3,4 suppose the points (cosθi,secθi) lie on the boundary of a circle, where θi∈[0,6π) are distinct. Then cosθ1cosθ2cosθ3cosθ4 equals
(A) 41
(B) 41
(C) 81
(D) 161
(E) 1
›Reveal solutionSolution
[!TLDR]
The points lie on the rectangular hyperbola xy=1; intersecting with a circle yields a quartic in x whose product of roots is 1, so the product of the four cosines is 1.
Concept
A circle meets a rectangular hyperbola in up to four points. If we substitute the hyperbola's relation into the circle's equation, the resulting quartic's roots are the x-coordinates of the intersection points, and their product follows from Vieta's formulas — coordinate-geometry ideas in the NCERT/CBSE-aligned KEAM syllabus.
Solution
Let x=cosθi and y=secθi=cosθi1=x1. Every point (cosθi,secθi) therefore satisfies
xy=1,
i.e. all four lie on the rectangular hyperbola xy=1.
Q.The points of intersection of the line y=x+2 and the circle (x−2)2+y2=16 are
(A) (−2,0),(2,4)
(B) (−2,4),(2,0)
(C) (4,0),(4,2)
(D) (4,6),(4,−2)
(E) (4,0),(4,−2)
›Reveal solutionSolution
The intersection points are (−2,0) and (2,4).
Concept and Intuition
Substitute the line into the circle to get a quadratic in x; its roots give the x-coordinates of intersection.