GMAT Math : DSQ: Calculating the length of a radius

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Math

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Radius

Parallelogram  is inscribed inside a circle. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: Each side of Parallelogram  has length 20.

Statement 2: .

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Correct answer:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Opposite angles of a parallelogram are congruent, and if the parallelogram is inscribed, both angles are inscribed as well. Congruent inscribed angles on the same circle intercept congruent arcs; since the two congruent arcs together comprise a circle, each intercepted arc is a semicricle. This makes the angles right angles, and this forces a parallelogram inscribed in a circle to be a rectangle.

Statement 1 alone tells us that this is also a square, and that its sides have length 20. The diagonal of a square, which is also a diameter of the circle that circumscribes it, has length  times that of a side, or ; half this, or , is the radius of the circle.

Statement 2 alone gives a diagonal of the rectangle, which, again, is enough to determine the radius of the circle.

Example Question #2672 : Gmat Quantitative Reasoning

A circle is inscribed inside an equilateral triangle . , and  are tangent to the circle at the points , and , respectively. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: The length of arc  is .

Statement 2: The degree measure of arc  is .

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Correct answer:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

The figure referenced is below:

Incircle

By symmetry,  is one third of a circle. Therefore, its length is one third of the circumference, so, if Statement 1 alone is assumed, the circumference can be determined to be ; this can be divided by  to yield radius .

Statement 2 yields no helpful information; from the body of the problem,  can already be deduced to be two thirds of a circle, or, equivalently, an arc of measure

.

Example Question #12 : Radius

Square  is inscribed inside a circle. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: Square  has area 100.

Statement 2: .

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

From Statement 2 alone, , a diagonal of the square, measures . The diameter of the circle is equal to the length of a diagonal of an inscribed square, so the radius of the circle is equal to half this, or .

From Statement 1 alone, since the area of the square is 100, its sidelength is the square root of this, or 10. By the 45-45-90 Theorem, a diagonal of the square measures  times this, or , which makes Statement 2 a consequence of Statement 1. Therefore, it follows again that the circle has radius .

Example Question #13 : Circles

Right triangle  is inscribed inside a circle. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

If a right triangle is inscribed inside a circle, the hypotenuse of the triangle is a diameter of the circle; therefore, its length is the diameter, and half this is the radius. 

Statement 1 alone does not give the hypotenuse of the triangle, or, for that matter, any of the sidelengths. Statement 2 alone gives one sidelength, but does not state whether it is the hypotenuse or not.

Assume both statements are true. Since  in right triangle , then either  and , or vice versa. In either event, , being opposite the  angle, is the short leg of a 30-60-90 triangle, and, by the 30-60-90 Theorem, the hypotenuse is twice its length. This is twice 18, or 36. This is the diameter of the circle, and the radius is half this, or 18.

Example Question #11 : Radius

Give the radius of a circle on the coordinate plane.

Statement 1: The circle has its center at .

Statement 2: The circle has its -intercepts at  and .

Possible Answers:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Knowing neither the center alone, as given in Statement 1, nor two points alone, as given in Statement 2, is sufficient to find the radius of the circle. 

Assume both statements to be true. Knowing the center from Statement 1 and one point on the circle, as given in Statement 2, is enough to determine the radius - use the distance formula to find the distance between the two points and, equivalently, the radius.

Example Question #11 : Dsq: Calculating The Length Of A Radius

Between Circle 1 and Circle 2, which has the greater radius?

Statement 1: Circle 1 has as a diameter ; Circle 2 has as a diameter  is a right triangle.

Statement 2:  is the hypotenuse of .

Possible Answers:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Statement 2 is unhelpfful as it gives no information about the circles - only a triangle which is not given in that statement to have any connection to the circles. Statement 1 alone is unhelpful in that it only identifies two sides of a triangle as  diameters of the circles without giving their lengths.

Now assume both statements to be true. The hypotenuse of a right triangle, which Statement 2 gives as , must be the longest side, so  has greater length than . This means that the circle with  as a diameter, Circle 1, must have a greater diameter than one with  as a diameter, Circle 2. Since Circle 1 has the greater diameter, it has the greater radius.

Example Question #11 : Dsq: Calculating The Length Of A Radius

A polygon is inscribed inside a circle. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: Each side of the polygon measures 10.

Statement 2: The inscribed polygon is a regular hexagon.

Possible Answers:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Statement 1 alone yields insufficient information, since, as seen in the diagram below, the circles that circumscribe a square and a triangle with the same sidelength have different sizes:

Thingy_5

Statement 2 is insufficient since it gives no hints about the size of the hexagon.

Assume both statements. The six radii of a regular hexagon divide it into six equilateral triangles, by symmetry; therefore, the radius of a regular hexagon is equal to its sidelength, which is given in Statement 1 as 10. Since the radius of a regular hexagon is equal to that of the circle in which it is inscribed, the circle has radius 10.

This can be seen by examining the figure below:

Hexagon_2

Example Question #13 : Dsq: Calculating The Length Of A Radius

Sector

Note: figure NOT drawn to scale.

Give the radius of the above circle with center .

Statement 1: The shaded sector has area .

Statement 2: Arc  has length .

Possible Answers:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Let  be the measure of  and  be radius.

From Statement 1 alone, the area of the shaded sector is 

However, we have no other information, so we cannot determine the value of the radius.

From Statement 1 alone, the length of the arc of the shaded sector  is

Again, we have no other information, so we cannot determine the value of the radius.

Assume both statements hold. From Statements 1 and 2, we have, respectively,

and

If we divide, we get the radius:

.

 

Example Question #14 : Dsq: Calculating The Length Of A Radius

The equation of a circle can be written in the form 

Give the radius of the circle of this equation.

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Explanation:

The actual form of the equation of a circle is 

,

where  is the location of the center, and  is the radius. 

The radius of the circle in the equation

is therefore . We need to know the value of  in the equation.

Assume both statements are true. Then we can add the equations to get :

                 

But without further information, we cannot determine .

Example Question #15 : Dsq: Calculating The Length Of A Radius

Right triangle  is inscribed inside a circle. What is the radius of the circle?

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

If a right triangle is inscribed inside a circle, the hypotenuse of the triangle is a diameter of the circle; therefore, its length is the diameter, and half this is the radius. However, each statement alone gives us the length of only one side, and does not clue us in to which side is the hypotenuse.

Assume both statements are true, however. The hypotenuse must always be the longest side of the right triangle, so if two sides have the same length, they must be the legs. A right triangle with congruent legs is a 45-45-90 triangle, and by the 45-45-90 Theorem, its hypotenuse must measure  the length of a leg. Since each leg of  measures 100, the length of the hypotenuse, and the diameter of the circle, are , and the radius is half this, or .

Tired of practice problems?

Try live online GMAT prep today.

1-on-1 Tutoring
Live Online Class
1-on-1 + Class
Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors