The centre of a circle is (2a, a – 7). Find the values of a if the circle passes through the point (11, –9) and has diameter units.
Solution
Given points area A(2a, a –7) and B(11, –9)
(x1, y1) = (2a, a - 7) (x2, y2) = (11, -9)
Squaring both sides
121 + 4a2 – 44a + 4 + a2 + 4a = 50
502 – 40a + 125 – 50 = 0
5a2 – 40a + 75 = 0
Dividing by 5 we get
a2 – 8a + 15 = 0
a2 – 5a - 3a + 15 = 0
a(a – 5) – 3(a – 5) = 0
(a – 5) (a – 3) = 0
a = 5, 3