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Year 8

Understanding constructing a circle

I can recognise a circle as a collection of points equidistant from a fixed point.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

Understanding constructing a circle

I can recognise a circle as a collection of points equidistant from a fixed point.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A pair of compasses can be used to draw circle with a particular radius.
  2. All the points on the circle will be the same distance from the centre.
  3. The centre of a circle is the point that is the same distance from every point on the circle.
  4. The collection of points an equal distance from a given point form a circle.

Keywords

  • Fixed point - A fixed point is a point that does not change or move.

  • Circumference - The circumference of a circle is the perimeter of the circle.

  • Arc - An arc is part of a curve. An arc of a circle is part of the circle’s circumference.

  • Equidistant - Points A and B are equidistant from a third point C if the distance AC is equal to the distance BC.

Common misconception

During tasks, pupils may use a ruler to draw or check whether points are equidistant from a centre.

While the tasks could be completed with a ruler, it may be quicker, easier and more accurate to use a pair of compasses.


To help you plan your year 8 maths lesson on: Understanding constructing a circle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The teacher could sit or stand in the middle of a large empty space and ask all pupils to position themselves equidistantly to the teacher. What shape have the pupils formed?
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

6 Questions

Q1.
Which part of the circle is highlighted and labelled with a question mark?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: arc
circumference
diameter
radius
Q2.
What are the co-ordinates of point A?
An image in a quiz
(-2, 4)
(2, -4)
Correct answer: (-4, 2)
(4, -2)
Q3.
Izzy tries to draw a circle with a pair of compasses without moving the ruler. The pencil starts at the 2 cm mark on the ruler. Half way around, the pencil touches the cm mark on the ruler.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 14, fourteen, 14 cm, 14cm
Q4.
The image shows a circle with centre at point A. Sofia draws a circle with radius 2 cm with its centre at point B. How many times will the two circles intersect?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 0
1
2
Q5.
The diagram is not to scale. Points A, B, C and D lie on a straight line. The distance from A to D is 20 cm. The radius of the large circle is 8 cm; the radius of the small circle is .
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 2 cm
4 cm
6 cm
12 cm
Q6.
Laura draws two circles. One has a radius 5 cm, the other has a radius 9 cm. The distance between the centre points of each circle is 16 cm. Which image matches Aisha's drawings?
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
A circle is a shape such that every point is to its centre.
Correct answer: equidistant
horizontal
vertical
vertically opposite
Q2.
Sam is stood in the centre of a circle. Which pupil is the closest to Sam?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: Jun, jun, JUN
Q3.
The pair of compasses in the image are used to draw a circle around the origin of the co-ordinate grid. Which point would lie on the circle?
An image in a quiz
(0, 5)
(-3, 0)
Correct answer: (0, -4)
(0, 0)
Q4.
The pair of compasses in the image are used to draw a circle around the origin of the co-ordinate grid. The diameter of the circle is units.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 8, eight, 8 units
Q5.
The images show a wrecking ball swinging from a fixed point on a crane. Which image correctly shows the movement of the wrecking ball?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q6.
Which arc will the pair of compass draw?
An image in a quiz
A
B
C
Correct answer: D
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