GCSE/KS3 :: Area &

Circumference of Circles
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@DrFrostMaths

Objectives: Be able to find the area and circumference of circles,

simple fractions of circles, and compound shapes involving circles.
(This resource is intended for both Foundation and Higher Tier students)

Last modified: 13th March 2020

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Circles

Seemingly obvious question (but not):

How would you define a circle?
(warning: your definition has to apply to circles only!)

same distance

centre

Circle: a collection/set of
points all the same distance
from a fixed centre.
Circle Key Terms

The perimeter of a The radius of a circle is a line

circle is known as the between its centre and its
circumference. circumference.

rad
centre ius

diameter

Important Point: The term ‘radius’ can refer to the line itself
or the length of the line. So you could say “the radius is 3cm”
or “the length of the radius is 3cm” to mean the same thing.
The same applies with the circumference and the diameter.
Circumference of a circle
Experiment: Using a compass, draw a circle or any size you like.
(a) Measure the diameter of your circle (the distance across your
circle, ensuring your ruler passes the centre of your circle).
(b) By gradually rotating your ruler, estimate the
Teacher Note : If you
perimeter/circumference of your circle. have it available, this
(c) Divide your answer to (b) by your answer to (a). That is, how would work better
many times bigger is the circumference of your circle than with string.
the diameter? Compare your estimate with your neighbours!

diameter ? How many times

bigger…
 Circumference of a circle
and a bit So if we were to take the
1 time diameter…
3 times
and bend it around the
circumference of the
circle, we could fit it
diameter around the circle…

The circumference is 3.1415 times

longer than the diameter.
There is a special constant in
2 times mathematics which has this value:

This is the Greek

letter “pi”.
Circumference of a circle

Noting that the

diameter is twice
the radius.
Examples

8m
?

3cm
?
 Test Your Understanding So Far

Easier Harder

?
Exact vs Decimal Answers

But with the decimal form (25.1327…), we have to

round it in order to write it down, because the digits go
on forever! This means our answer won’t be exact!
Test Your Understanding

Determine the circumference of

5 the circle in:
(a) Exact form
(b) Decimal form, to 2dp

a ?
b ?
 Exercise 1 Questions on provided worksheet

1 Find the circumference of the 3

following circles, giving your answer
to 1 decimal place.
?
a b
3cm 8cm
?
4
? ?
c d ?
7.2m
6.4m 5

? ? ?
2 And give your answer in exact form: 6
a b ?
7 16 ?
(Continued on next slide…)
? ?
Exercise 1 Questions on provided worksheet

7 [Edexcel GCSE March2013-2H Q5] Jon has a flower garden

in the shape of a circle. The diameter of the garden is 5
metres.

Jon wants to put fencing around the edge of the garden.

The fencing costs £1.80 per metre.

Work out the total cost of the fencing.

?
8 [Edexcel IGCSE Jan2017-1F Q17, Jan2017-3H Q4]
The diagram shows a design made from wire.
The design is made from a square with side 70 cm,
a circle with diameter 40 cm, 4 straight pieces each
of length 15 cm.

Find the total length of wire needed for the design.

Give your answer correct to the nearest
centimetre.

?
Exercise 1 Questions on provided worksheet

9 [Edexcel GCSE June2007-4I Q13b] The diameter of a wheel on

Harry’s bicycle is 0.65 m. Harry cycles 1000 metres.

Calculate the number of turns the wheel makes.

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2014-2F Q26, Nov2014-2H Q11] Saphia

10 is organising a conference.
People at the conference will sit at circular tables. Each
table has a diameter of 140 cm.
Each person needs around 60 cm around the circumference
of the table.
There are 12 of these tables in the conference room. A
total of 90 people will be at the conference. Are there ?
enough tables in the conference room?

☠
Solution:
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) i ?
Area of a circle

If we ‘circumscribe’ the circle with

a square, what would be its side ?
length, and hence what would be
its area?
Area of a circle

?
Area of a circle

?
Area of a circle

?
Further Examples

4.6 cm

16 ?
Test Your Understanding

3cm
?

8m ?
Game!

Example

Your teacher may impose a time limit per question.

Game!

1 1 6 4 4 5

? ? ? ? ? ?

8 7 12 7 10 18

? ? ? ? ? ?

3 17 9 14 3 11

? ? ? ? ? ?

(Slide note: You can press anywhere or use the right key to advance)
Game!

8 7 4 5 18 4

? ? ? ? ? ?

15 13 14 2 15 22

? ? ? ? ? ?

12 1 5 20 19 8

? ? ? ? ? ?
 Exercise 2 Questions on provided worksheet

1 Find the area of the following circles, 3

giving your answer to 1dp.

a b
3cm 8cm ?
? ? 4

c d
7.2m
6.4m
?
? ? 5
2 Find the area, giving your answer in
?
exact form: ☠
a b
7 16
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) iii
?
Solution:

? ?
Fractions of circles
In this lesson we’ll deal with ‘simple’ fractions of a
circle, e.g. semicircles and quarter circles.

Determine the area of this quarter circle, giving

your answer in exact form.

6 We just need to find the area of a full

circle, then divide it by 4, as we only
have a quarter of a circle.
Fractions of circles
Recall that the perimeter of a shape is the total of all the edge
lengths. For the shape below, we have quarter of the
circumference of a circle, but also the two straight edges.

6 Terminology Note : We don’t use the

term ‘circumference’ for the perimeter
here, because it’s (a) not a full circle
and (b) includes straight edges.
A few more examples
Give answers in exact form.

?
8
?

?
10 The diameter is 10,
therefore the radius is 5.
Test Your Understanding
i

?
7cm

ii

16
?

?
 Exercise 3
1 Find the area and perimeter of the 3 Give exact answers.
2
following, giving your answers to 1dp. a b
a b 6cm 1

5cm

? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
c d 4 Fred Flintstone’s car has two different wheels: one
3.7m circular in shape and the other semi-circular. The
diameter of the semi-circular wheel is 1.3m. What radius
is needed for the circular wheel so that the wheels make
5.3m the same number of full circulations over any journey?
? ? (Give your answer to 3dp)
? ? ?
Solution: 0.532m

2 Give exact answers.

12
a b
10

1.3m

? ?
?
Additive and Subtractive Methods
We can find the area of compound shapes by adding areas together, or by starting
with a shape that is too large and ‘cutting out’ an area from it.

12m Additive method:

(i.e. adding areas)

?
7m

13m
Subtractive method:
(i.e. subtracting areas)
12m

6m
13m ?
8m

4m
Additive Method Examples
A B

10m
8m 6m

10m
8m

? ?
C 25m

10m 10m ?
10m
Test Your Understanding
30m
i

10m
?

ii
14m

DEATH
12m 8m ?
LASER

25m
Subtractive Method Examples
What is the area of the black region in each case? (expressed exactly)

8
20

10
10

? ?
If the diameter is 20
We start with a square and the radius is 10, and
hence the height of
‘cut out’ (subtract) the circle the rectangle 10.
to leave the corners.
Test Your Understanding
8
i

4 ?

Bro Tip: Try and combine parts of circles

to form full circles where possible.

ii 1cm
3cm

?
Extension :: A More Interesting One…

Fro Note: Maths Challenge/Olympiad enthusiasts

take note – these two shapes are quite common!
Extension :: Cutting and Reforming
We have seen we can add areas and subtract areas.
But a third way we can sometimes use is to cut the shape up, and put it back
together in such a way that gives us a simpler shape.

8cm
? Answer: A ?
Extension :: Test Your Understanding

[JMO 2014 A4] The figure shows two shapes

that fit together exactly. Each shape is
formed by four semicircles of radius 1.
What is the total shaded area?

2 ?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

1 [Edexcel IGCSE June2011-3H

Q15a] Here is a shape made
from a rectangle and a
semicircle.
The length of the rectangle is
7.1 cm. The radius of the
semicircle is 2.7 cm. Work
out the area of the shape.
Give your answer correct to 3
significant figures.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

4 [OCR GCSE June 2016 2F Q19]

This diagram shows a circle
inside a square. The radius of
the circle is 7 cm.
The length of a side of the
square is 14 cm. Calculate the
shaded area.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

5 [Edexcel IGCSE May2014(R)-4H Q5]

The diagram shows a metal plate in the
shape of a rectangle. The rectangle has
length 20 cm and width 12 cm. Two
identical circles, each of diameter 6 cm,
have been cut out of the plate. Work
out the area of the shaded region of
the metal plate.
Give your answer correct to the nearest
cm2.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

7 [Edexcel GCSE Nov2016-2F

Q28, Nov2016-2H Q11] The
diagram shows a square
ABCD inside a circle.

The points A, B, C and D lie on

the circle.
The radius of the circle is 6
cm. Work out the total area
of the shaded regions. Give
your answer correct to 3
significant figures.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

9 [Edexcel IGCSE May2016(R)-4H Q7] Here

are two circles. The circles have the same
centre O. The radius of the inner circle is 3
cm. The width of the shaded region
between the inner circle and outer circle is
2 cm.
Work out the area of the shaded region.
Give your answer correct to 3 significant
figures.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

10

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

11

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

12 [OCR GCSE(9-1) SAM 5H Q12] Three identical

small circles are drawn inside one large circle, as
shown in the diagram. The centres of the small
circles lie on the diameter of the large circle.
Find the fraction of the large circle that is
shaded.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

☠
1

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

☠ [JMO 2008 A10] The

2 perimeter of the shape
shown on the right is made
from 20 quarter-circles, each
with radius 2 cm. What is the
area of the shape? Give your
answer as an exact value.

?
Exercise 4 (Questions on provided sheet)

☠ [UKMT] The diagram shows nine 1cm × 1cm

3 squares and a circle. The circle passes through
the centres of the four corner squares. What
is the area of the shaded region – inside two
squares but outside the circle?

?
Supplementary Questions
Find the shaded/enclosed areas (giving your answer exactly).
a b 2 2 c 2 2
1

6
1 1

? ? ?
d e f 2
2

8
4

4
? ? ?