Finding coordinates of a point on a circle( angle and distance from O known)

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the coordinates of a point on a circle given certain known parameters, including the coordinates of a center and a point on the circle. The problem involves the equation of the circle and the relationship between a line and the circle.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss substituting a line equation into the circle's equation to find intersections. There are questions about the correct form of the line equation and how it relates to the circle. Some participants express uncertainty about the direction of their reasoning and seek clarification on the relationship between the line and the circle.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively exploring various interpretations of the problem, including the nature of point P's location on the circle. Some guidance has been offered regarding the substitution process, but there is still a lack of consensus on the best approach to take.

Contextual Notes

There is an acknowledgment that the point P could be anywhere on the arc of the circle, which complicates the determination of its exact coordinates. Participants are also considering the implications of different values for the parameters involved in the equations.

Wikeda
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zn0sq9.jpg



1. I basically have to find the coordinates of P. All the pink lines are know, coordinates of points A and centre of circle are know.


2. (x-a)^2 + (y-b)^2 = r^2


3. I try to substitute mx+c into the equation and get

(x-a)^2 + (y-mx-c)^2 + r^2= 0

but I can't work out what m and c are. Any help would be appreciated! Am I in the right direction, or am I completely off?
 
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Wikeda said:
zn0sq9.jpg
1. I basically have to find the coordinates of P. All the pink lines are know, coordinates of points A and centre of circle are know.2. (x-a)^2 + (y-b)^2 = r^23. I try to substitute mx+c into the equation and get

(x-a)^2 + (y-mx-c)^2 + r^2= 0

but I can't work out what m and c are. Any help would be appreciated! Am I in the right direction, or am I completely off?


I'm just going off what it looks like on the picture, but it looks as though P is the intersection between a line with gradient -1 going through the centre of the circle and the circle itself. Is this correct?

If so, what is the equation of a line with gradient m that goes through the point (a,b) ?

EDIT: And by the way, if you were trying to find where a general circle intersects with a general line, then you need to plug
[tex]y=mx+c[/tex] into the equation
[tex](x-a)^2+(y-b)^2=r^2[/tex]
to get
[tex](x-a)^2+(mx+c-b)^2=r^2[/tex]
And then you'll have an equation that you have a quadratic in x that you have to solve (all the other values are constants, so the answer will depend on what those are).
Once you've done that, you can plug that value of x back into the line equation to find y (you can also plug into the circle equation but it's harder work to solve for y there and you also get two values).
 
Thank you for your response!
Actually The point P could be anywhere on the arch that is being formed by the circle, so the line doesn't intersects the centre of the circle.

I see now where I got it wrong, should have substituted y instead of b.

Thanks!
 
Wikeda said:
Thank you for your response!
Actually The point P could be anywhere on the arch that is being formed by the circle, so the line doesn't intersects the centre of the circle.

I see now where I got it wrong, should have substituted y instead of b.

Thanks!

Well then, if you knew the equation of the circle, you won't know P exactly because it obviously will change depending on how high up the circle it is. The equations are still correct though :smile:
 

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