PLANE GEOMETRY

I. TERMINOLOGY
Line A line is perfectly straight and extends infinitely in both directions.
A line segment is a section of a line. A line segment does not extend infinitely
Line segment
in both directions. Instead, it has two endpoints
A ray has one endpoint and extends infinitely in the direction of the other
Ray – Vector
end.
A vertex is a point where two or more line segments meet to create an
Vertex
angle.
A bisector is any line that cuts a line segment, angle, or polygon exactly in
Bisector
half.
Complementary Angles Angles that sum up to 90 degree.

Supplementary Angles Angles that sum up to 180 degree.

Parallel ⫽ Lines that run in the same direction and never intersect.
Perpendicular ⏊ Lines that intersect to create a 90 degree angle.
Polygon A flat shape that has 3 or more sides. E.g. triangles, quadrilateral.

Triangle A polygon with 3 sides.

Quadrilateral A polygon with 4 sides.

Hypotenuse The longest side of a right triangle.

Altitude A vertical line drawn from a vertex of the polygon to the opposite base.
Diagonal the line that connects two opposite vertices of a polygon
Perimeter The sum of the lengths of a polygon’s sides.

Radius – Radii The distance from the center of a circle to a point on that circle.
Diameter A line connecting two points on a circle and passes through the origin.

Arc A portion of a circle’s circumference.

Chord A line segment connecting 2 points on a circle

Sector A portion of a circle’s area between two radii – similar to a pizza slice
Something that is tangent to a curve touches that curve at only one point
Tangent
without crossing it.
Congruent ≅ When two shapes are congruent, they have the same size and same shape
Similar ~ When two shapes are similar, they have the same shape only

1
 II. LINES AND ANGLES
Measurement

An angle is formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint which is called the vertex. The two rays
that formed the angle are called the arms of the angle.
B

Vertex 25°
A Arm C

An angle is represented by the symbol ∠. The angle shown above is ∠𝐵𝐴𝐶. To show the
measurement of the angle, we add the letter 𝑚 in front of the angle symbol, e.g. 𝑚∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 = 25°.

There are two unit measurements for angle: Radian and Degree. We must be familiar with converting
from one unit to the other. The conversion factor is 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 = 180°. To convert from radian to degree,
180° 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑
we multiply the measurement by . To convert from degree to radian, we multiply by .
𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 180°

Example 1:

Which of the following is the measure of the

angle on the right in radians?
280°

𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑
To convert the angle to radian, we multiply it by
180°
𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 14𝜋
→ 280° ∗ = 𝑟𝑎𝑑
180° 9

Example 2:

Which of the following is the measure of the

angle on the right in degree? 𝜋
5

180°
To convert the angle to radian, we multiply it by
𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝜋 180°
→ 𝑟𝑎𝑑 ∗ = 36°
5 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑

2
Angles classification

Angles can be classified based on their measurement:

Acute angle Less than 90°

50°

Right angle Equal to 90°

90°

Obtuse angle Between 90° and 180°

130°

Straight angle Equal to 180° 180°

Reflex angle Between 180° and 360°

230°

Full angle Equal to 360° 360°

When two lines intersect at a point, the angles that are across from each other are called vertical
angles. Vertical angles are congruent. Two pairs of vertical angles are shown below.

3
 When two parallel lines are intersected by a third line, called a transversal, a variety of angle types
are formed. The SAT does not require us to memorize the name of each type of pair of angles. However,
we need to know how their properties.

Corresponding Angles ∠1 = ∠5 ∠2 = ∠6 ∠3 = ∠7 ∠4 = ∠8
Alternate Interior Angles ∠3 = ∠6 ∠4 = ∠5
Alternate Exterior Angles ∠1 = ∠8 ∠2 = ∠7
Consecutive Interior Angles ∠3 + ∠5 = 180° ∠4 + ∠6 = 180°
Consecutive Exterior Angles ∠1 + ∠7 = 180° ∠2 + ∠8 = 180°

Example 3:

In the diagram shown below, 𝑝 ⫽ 𝑞, What is the value of 𝑥 ?

Since the two lines are parallel → (3𝑥 + 5)° and (2𝑥 + 3)° are corresponding angles
→ 3𝑥 + 5 = 2𝑥 + 3
→ 𝑥 = −2

Example 4:

In the diagram shown below, 𝑙 ⫽ 𝑚, What is the value of 𝑥 ?

Since the two lines are parallel → 𝑥° and 150° are supplementary
→ 𝑥 + 150° = 180°
→ 𝑥 = 30°

4
Practice

1. 2.
Rewrite each degree measure in radians and
each radian measure in degrees. 92°
80°
D A
i. 130°
B
C
89°

(Note: figure not drawn to scale)

ii. −280° The diagram above shows four lines:

⃡𝐴𝐵, ⃡𝐶𝐷 , ⃡𝐴𝐷 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ⃡𝐵𝐶 . Which of the following
statements is true?
A. ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 measures 88°
B. ∠𝐵𝐶𝐷 measures 80°
𝜋
iii. C. ⃡𝐴𝐷 intersects ⃡𝐵𝐶
9
⃡ is parallel to 𝐵𝐶
D. 𝐴𝐷 ⃡

3𝜋 3.
iv. a b
5 c
(9𝑥 + 5)°

(𝑥 2 + 25)°
d
(8𝑥 + 13)°

(Note: figure not drawn to scale)

v. 510°
In the figure above, lines 𝑐 and 𝑑 are parallel.
What is the value of 𝑥?

5
 III. POLYGON
A polygon is a shape with 3 or more side. The name of a polygon is based on the number of its side.
Here is a list of some common polygons and the sum of their interior angles

As we can see from the list above, each additional side increases the sum of the interior angles by
180°. For any polygon with 𝑛 sides, the sum of the interior angles is:

𝟏𝟖𝟎°(𝒏 − 𝟐)

A regular polygon is a polygon that has all equal sides and equal interior angles. The measurement of
each of the interior angles of a polygon with 𝑛 sides can be calculated by the formula:

𝟏𝟖𝟎°(𝒏 − 𝟐)
𝒏

Example 5:

A regular hexagon is shown in the figure below, what is the value of ?

𝑥°

Since this is a regular hexagon

180°(6−2)
→ the measurement of each interior angle = 6
= 120°
According to the figure, we have that 𝑥° + 90° = 120°
→ 𝑥 = 30°

6
 IV. TRIANGLE
Triangle inequality

A triangle is a polygon with three sides. The sum of the measures of the three interior angles of a
triangle is 180°.

For any triangle, the sum of any two sides must be greater than the third side, and the difference
between any two sides must be smaller than the third side.

𝒂 + 𝒃 > 𝒄 > |𝒂 − 𝒃|

𝒃 + 𝒄 > 𝒂 > |𝒃 − 𝒄|

𝒂 + 𝒄 > 𝒃 > |𝒂 − 𝒄|

Example 6:

Which of the following sets of the three numbers could be the side lengths of a triangle?
I. {3, 7, 12}
II. {10, 13, 30}
III. {2, 8, 9}

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I, II and III

For the first set of numbers, we can see that 3 + 7 < 12

→ {3, 7, 12} cannot be the side lengths of a triangle

For the second set of numbers, we can see that 10 + 13 < 30

→ {10, 13, 30} cannot be the side lengths of a triangle

For the third set of numbers, we have:

2 + 8 > 9 > |2 − 8|
2 + 9 > 8 > |2 − 9|
9 + 8 > 2 > |9 − 8|
→ {2, 8, 9} can be the side lengths of a triangle

→ Option C is correct

7
Angle classification

Triangles can be classified based on their side lengths and interior angles. Here is a list of triangles
and their properties

Isosceles triangle: two sides have equal length,

and two interior angles have the same measure.

Equilateral triangle: all sides have equal length,

and all interiors angles are equal to 60°.

Scalene triangle: all three sides have different

lengths, and all three angles have different
measures

Acute triangle: all three interior angles are acute

Obtuse triangle: one interior angle is greater than

90° and smaller than 180°

Right triangle: one interior angle is equal 90°

8
 Example 7:

̅̅̅̅ ?
In ΔBDC on the right, what is the length of 𝐷𝐶

A. 3
B. 5
C. 5√3
D. 8

∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 = ∠𝐵𝐶𝐴 → 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 is an isosceles triangle

𝑚∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 + 𝑚∠𝐵𝐶𝐴 + ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = 180° → 𝑚∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = 180° − (𝑚∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 + 𝑚∠𝐵𝐶𝐴)

→ 𝑚∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = 180° − (60° + 60°) = 60°
→ 𝑚∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 = 𝑚∠𝐵𝐶𝐴 = ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 → 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 is also an equilateral triangle
→ ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐶 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 → ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐶 = 10

𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 is an equilateral triangle → ̅̅̅̅ is also the line bisector of 𝐴𝐶

𝐴𝐷 ̅̅̅̅
1
→ ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 = ̅̅̅̅𝐴𝐶 → ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 = 5
2
→Option 𝐵 is correct

Right triangle

The SAT usually asks questions that involve with a right triangle and its properties. It’s very important
that we familiarize ourselves with these properties.

Pythagorean Theorem: the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the
squares of the other two sides.

𝒂𝟐 + 𝒃𝟐 = 𝒄𝟐

9
 Example 8:
𝐴
̅̅̅̅ = 5, and the length
In 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 on the right, the length of 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ ̅̅̅̅
of 𝐴𝐵 = 9, what is the length of 𝐴𝐶 ?

9
A. √106
B. 106
C. 2√14
5
D. 56 𝐶 𝐵

∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle → 𝐴𝐶 2 + 𝐵𝐶 2 = 𝐴𝐵2

→ 𝐴𝐶 2 = 𝐴𝐵2 − 𝐵𝐶 2 → 𝐴𝐶 2 = 92 − 52 = 81 − 25 = 56
→ 𝐴𝐶 2 = 56 → 𝐴𝐶 = √56 = √4 ∗ 14 = √4 ∗ √14
→ 𝐴𝐶 = 2√14
→ Option C is correct

Special Triangle: there are four special triangles that we need to memorize. They can help us
tremendously during the test.

𝟒𝟓° − 𝟒𝟓° − 𝟗𝟎°

𝟑𝟎° − 𝟔𝟎° − 𝟗𝟎°

𝟑−𝟒−𝟓

𝟓 − 𝟏𝟐 − 𝟏𝟑

10
 We may not have to memorize the first two special triangles, 45° − 45° − 90° and 30° − 60° − 90°,
since they are provided in the Reference Information section on the first page of each math section of the
test.

The configurations of the other two special triangles satisfied the Pythagorean Theorem and are call
Pythagorean triples. The rule can be applied to any multiples of 3 − 4 − 5 and 5 − 12 − 13, such as 6 −
8 − 10, 9 − 12 − 15, and 12 − 16 − 20 for 3 − 4 − 5 and 10 − 24 − 26, 15 − 36 − 39, and 20 − 48 −
52 for 5 − 12 − 13.

Example 9:

In the figure on the right, ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐷 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 , 𝑚∠𝐴𝐵𝐷 = 30°, and 𝐴
̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐵 = 16. What is the length of 𝐴𝐶̅̅̅̅
16
A. 4
B. 8
30°
C. 8√2
𝐷 𝐶 𝐵
D. 8√3

∠𝐴𝐵𝐷 is a 30° − 60° − 90° triangle → ̅̅̅̅ = 1 𝐴𝐵

𝐴𝐷 ̅̅̅̅ = 8
2
̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 and ∠𝐴𝐷𝐶 is a right triangle → ∠𝐴𝐷𝐶 is a 45° − 45° − 90° triangle
→ ̅̅̅̅ = 𝐴𝐷
𝐴𝐶 ̅̅̅̅ √2

̅̅̅̅ = 8√2
→ 𝐴𝐶

→ Option C is correct

Example 10:

Thomas is assembling a set of bunkbeds and wants to make sure the support posts are perpendicular
to the floor. He measures that the posts are 2.8 meters tall and 2.1 meters apart. How long should
the diagonal measurement be, in meter, if the support posts are perpendicular to the floor?

We can quickly draw a diagram, Figure 1, to understand the problem. Let’s call the diagonal between
the two post 𝑥, as shown in Figure 2.

11
 2.8𝑚 2.1𝑚 2.8𝑚 2.8𝑚 𝑥

2.1𝑚
Figure 1 Figure 2
Solution 1: Solution 2:
→ Pythagorean Theorem: 𝑥 2 = 2.12 + 2.82 We can see that 2.8 = 4 ∗ (0.7) and
→ 𝑥 2 = 12.25 2.1 = 3 ∗ (0.7)
→ 𝑥 = √12.25 = 3.5 → Apply 3 − 4 − 5 triangle → 𝑥 = 5 ∗ (0.7)
→ 𝑥 = 3.5

Perimeter and area

𝑎 ℎ 𝑐

𝑏
Perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of the three sides of the triangle.

𝑷𝜟 = 𝒂 + 𝒃 + 𝒄

Area of a triangle is half the product of the altitude and the corresponding base of the triangle. The
altitude of the triangle is the line drawn from one vertex to the opposite side of the triangle, and the base
is that opposite side.

𝟏
𝑨𝜟 = 𝒃𝒉
𝟐

Example 11:

What are the perimeter and the area of 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 shown below?
𝐴

13 5 √41

𝐷 𝐶 𝐵

12
 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle → 𝐴𝐶 2 + 𝐵𝐶 2 = 𝐴𝐵2
2
→ 𝐵𝐶 2 = 𝐴𝐵2 − 𝐴𝐶 2 = (√41) − 52 = 16
→ 𝐵𝐶 = √16 = 4

𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a 5 − 12 − 13 right triangle → 𝐷𝐶 = 12

→ 𝐵𝐷 = 𝐷𝐶 + 𝐵𝐶 = 12 + 4 = 16

1 1
𝐴𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 = 2 (𝐵𝐷)(𝐴𝐶) = 2 (16)(5) → 𝐴𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 = 40

𝑃𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 = 𝐴𝐵 + 𝐴𝐷 + 𝐵𝐷 → 𝑃𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 = 13 + 16 + √41 = 29 + √41

Practice

1. 2.

𝐵 12√3 𝐶

12

𝑥° 𝐴

What is the measurement in degree of ∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 in

A regular octagon is shown in the figure above. the figure above?
What is the value of 𝑥?

A. 30
B. 35
C. 40
D. 45

13
 3. 6.
𝐵 𝐶 𝐵 𝐶
40° 𝑥°
40° 𝑥°
𝐴 𝐷 4
𝐸

In the figure above, 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐵𝐸 and 𝐸𝐶 = 𝐶𝐷, 𝐴 𝐷

what is the value of 𝑥?
In the figure above, if 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a rectangle and
A. 40 𝑥 = 60°, what is the length of side ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 ?
B. 50
C. 60 A. 2
D. 70 B. 2√3
C. 4√3
D. 8
4.
𝑚
𝑙 𝑥°
𝑛
35°

25° 7.
𝐵 𝐶
Lines 𝑙, 𝑚, and 𝑛 intersect as shown above.
What is the value of 𝑥?
𝐸 𝐹
A. 140
B. 130
C. 120 𝐴
𝐷
D. 110
In the figure above, the area of square 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is
36. What is the area of square 𝐸𝐶𝐹𝐷?
5.
A. 3√2
The degree measures of the three angles in a
B. 9
triangle are (4𝑥 + 25)° , (7𝑥 − 20)° , and
C. 9√2
(9𝑥 + 15)°. What is the degree measure of the
D. 18
largest angle in the triangle?

14
 V. CIRCLE
Parts of a circle

• A circle is a set of points of equal distance from a given

point, the center of the circle: Point 𝐶.

𝐴 • Chord: the line segment that connects any two points on

𝐸𝐷 and ̅̅̅̅
the circle: ̅̅̅̅ 𝐴𝐷

𝐵
Radius • Radius – Radii: the distance from the center of the circle
𝐶 to any point on the circle:

Chord 𝑟 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐸𝐶 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐶 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶
𝐸 𝐷

• Diameter: the line segment that connects two point on a

𝑙 circle and goes through the center of the circle. It’s the
longest chord of the circle and twice the radius:

𝑑 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 = 2𝑟
• Central angle: an angle whose vertex is the center of the circle and whose two sides are the radii:
∠𝐴𝐶𝐵, ∠𝐵𝐶𝐸, ∠𝐴𝐶𝐷 and ∠𝐸𝐶𝐷.

• Arc: a portion of a circle. A diameter divides the circle into two congruent arc called semicircle. An arc
which is smaller than a semicircle is called a minor arc, 𝐵𝐸⏜ . An arc which is larger than a semicircle is
⏜.
called a major arc, 𝐵𝐴𝐸

• Sector: a region enclosed by two radii and an arc.

• Tangent: a line that intersects the circle at a single point and is perpendicular to the radius drawn to
the point of intersection: line 𝑙.

• Circumference: 𝑪 = 𝟐𝝅𝒓

• Area: 𝑨 = 𝝅𝒓𝟐

15
Central angle, arc length, and area of sector

As shown above, we can see that the central angle is part of the full angle of the circle, the arc length
is part of the circumference of the circle, and the sector is part of the area of the circle. They are actually
proportional to each other. We have:

𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒄 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓

= =
𝟑𝟔𝟎° 𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝝅 𝟐𝝅𝒓 𝝅𝒓𝟐

Note: the ratio for central angle uses 360° or 2𝜋 depending on the unit used for that central angle.

Example 12:

What is the area of the shaded sector in circle 𝑂 shown on the right?

The diagram shows that the central angle ∠𝐴𝑂𝐶 is 135° and the radius of the circle is 16
𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 135° 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
= → =
360° 𝑜𝑟 2𝜋 𝜋𝑟 2 360° 𝜋(16)2
2
135°(16) 𝜋
→ 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 = = 96𝜋
360°

Example 13:

In the figure to the right, the circle has center 𝑂 and a A

4𝜋 4𝜋
radius of 4. If the measure of angle ∠𝐴𝑂𝐵 is radians, 5
5 4
⏜?
what is the length of minor arc 𝐴𝐵 O B

4𝜋
The radius of the circle is 4 and the central angle∠𝐴𝑂𝐵 is 5 radians
4𝜋
𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑐 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ ⏜
𝐴𝐵
= → 5 =
360° 𝑜𝑟 2𝜋 2𝜋𝑟 2𝜋 2𝜋(4)
4𝜋
( ) (2𝜋(4)) 16𝜋
⏜
→ 𝐴𝐵 = 5 =
2𝜋 5

16
Practice

1. 3.

𝐴 𝐵 𝐵

120° 𝐶 𝐴 𝐶
𝑂
1
⏜ is
In the figure above, the length of arc 𝐵𝐶 the
9
circumference of a circle with center 𝐴. If 𝐴𝐵
has length 6, what is the area of the sector of
In the figure above, 𝑂 is the center of the circle
the circle shown above?
⏜?
with radius 3. What is the length of arc 𝐴𝐵𝐶
𝜋
2𝜋 A.
A. 4
3 B. 2𝜋
B. 𝜋 C. 4𝜋
C. 2𝜋 D. 9𝜋
D. 4𝜋

4.
2.
12𝜋

𝐴 𝑂 𝐵 𝑃 𝑥°
𝐶 24

Point 𝑂 is the center of the circle above. If 𝑃𝐴 = In a circle with center 𝐶 and radius 24 meters
20 and 𝑃𝐵 = 4, what is the length of 𝑂𝐴 ? (𝑚), a central angle of 𝑥° intercepts an arc
of 12𝜋 𝑚 as shown in the image above. What is
A. 6.5
the value of 𝑥?
B. 7
C. 7.5
D. 8

17
 5. 6.

The circle shown above is centered at 𝑂, the

measure of the obtuse central angle 𝑀𝑂𝑁 is The circle shown above has its center at point 𝑅.
5.28 radians, and 𝑀𝑂 = 10. What is the area of Line segment 𝑅𝑄 is a radius of the circle, and
the shaded sector of the circle formed by the the area of the shaded sector formed by the
acute angle 𝑀 ? Use 𝜋 ≈ 3.14 obtuse angle ∠𝑄𝑅𝑆 is 53. Rounded to the
nearest hundredth of a radian, what is the
measure of 𝑥, the central angle ∠𝑄𝑅𝑆 ?

18
 V. HOMEWORK
1. 3.
𝑛
4𝑥°
𝑦° 2𝑥°
𝑚
𝑥°
In the figure above, what is the value of 𝑦 ?
𝑦°
A. 40 𝑙
B. 45
C. 50
D. 60
In the figure above, if 𝑙 ⫽ 𝑚 and 𝑦° = 2𝑥°, then
what is the value of 𝑥 ?

A. 30°
B. 60°
C. 90°
D. 120°

2.

𝐵 𝐶
𝑦° 4.
𝑥° 𝑧°
𝐸 𝐵
𝐴
𝐷
̅̅̅̅
In the figure above, line segment 𝐴𝐶 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐷
intersect at point 𝐸. If 𝑦° > 90°, which of the 𝑥

following is NOT true? 30° 30°

𝐴 𝐶
𝐷
A. 𝑥° = 𝑧°
B. 𝑥° + 𝑦° = 180° In 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 above, what is the length of segment 𝐴𝐶
C. 𝑥° + 𝑧° > 180° interms of 𝑥 ?
D. 𝑦° + 𝑧° = 180°
A. 2𝑥√3
B. 2𝑥√2
C. 𝑥√3
D. 4𝑥

19
 5. 7.
𝐵
𝐵

𝐴
𝑂
𝑃

In the figure above, the length of minor arc 𝐴𝐵⏜ is 𝐴 𝐶

1
of the circumference of the circle with center 𝑂. In 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 above, 𝐴𝐶 = 5, 𝑃𝐶 = 3, and 𝐵𝑃 = 4√3.
6
If the diameter of the circle is 18, what is the What is the length of 𝐴𝐵 ?
⏜?
length of minor arc 𝐴𝐵

𝜋
A.
6
𝜋
B.
3
C. 3𝜋
D. 6𝜋

8.
6.
𝑃 𝑄
𝑌
𝑦°

𝑅
𝑀
𝑓 𝑧°
ℎ Note: Figure not drawn to scale
𝑔
In the figure above, 𝑀𝑃⏊𝑀𝑅. If the measure of
Lines 𝑓, 𝑔, and ℎ intersect as shown in the figure ∠𝑃𝑀𝑄 is 70° and 𝑀𝑌 bisects ∠𝑄𝑀𝑅, what is the
above. If 𝑧° = 35°, what is the value of 𝑦 ? measure of ∠𝑃𝑀𝑌 ?

A. 40 A. 80°
B. 45 B. 77.5°
C. 50 C. 75°
D. 55 D. 72.5°

20
 9. 11.

𝑏°
65°
𝑏 6
𝑐° 𝐸
𝐺

𝑎° 75° 100° 𝑑°
𝐹

The sector of a circle shown at left has it center at

In the figure above, which of the following is
point 𝐺. Line segment 𝐺𝐸 isa radius of the circle,
greatest?
and the area of the sector is 81. Rounded to the
A. 𝑎 nearest tenth of a radian, what is the measure of
B. 𝑏 𝑏, the central angle ∠𝐸𝐺𝐹 ?
C. 𝑐
D. 𝑑

12.
10.

𝐸
𝐷 𝑥°

40° 30°
𝐴 𝐶

In the figure above, segment 𝐷𝐶 intersects

segment 𝐴𝐸 at point 𝐵. What is the value of 𝑥 ? The sector of a circle shown above has center 𝑍.
The length of the chord ̅̅̅̅𝑋𝑌 is 24. The distance
from 𝑍 to the chord 𝑋𝑌, ̅̅̅̅̅
̅̅̅̅ 𝑊𝑍, is 5. What is the
radius, 𝑟, of the circle?

21
 13. 15.
𝐶 𝐷 𝐶

𝑥°
𝐵 𝐸 𝐷
𝑂
𝐵
𝐴 𝐹 2

𝐴 𝐸
2√3
In the figure above, 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷𝐸𝐹 is a regular hexagon,
and its center is point 𝑂. What is the value of 𝑥° ? In the figure above, what is the area of square 𝐸 ?

A. 9
B. 12
C. 16
D. 24

14.
6 𝑖𝑛 16.
𝐴 12 𝐵
8 𝑖𝑛
5
5 𝑖𝑛 𝐶
𝑂
10 𝑖𝑛
A triangular region was cut from a rectangular
piece of paper as shown above. What is the
perimeter, in inches of the resulting pentagon? In the figure above, the line through points 𝐴 and
𝐵 is tangent to the circle at point 𝐴. If 𝑂 is the
center of the circle and the length of segment 𝐴𝐵
is 12, what is the length of segment 𝐶𝐵 ?

22
 17. 19.
𝐹

𝐵 𝐶

𝜋
9 𝐸 𝐺

The circle shown to the left with area 9𝜋 has a 𝐴 𝐷

1
sector with a central angle of 𝜋 radians. What is
9
the area of the sector?
𝐻
1 In the figure above, 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a square with
A. 𝜋
2 perimeter 12. The four triangles are equilateral.
1 What is the perimeter of the octagon 𝐹𝐶𝐺𝐷𝐻 ?
B. 𝜋
162
C. 2𝜋
D. 162𝜋

20.
𝐵
18.
𝐵

18
13
5

𝐴 𝑙 60° 60°
9 𝐷 3 𝐶 𝐴 𝐶
What is the area of triangle 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐷 in the figure 𝐷
above?
In 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 above, what is the length of 𝐴𝐷 ?
A. 13.5
B. 15
C. 18
D. 22.5

23
 21. 23.
𝐵 A circle has a radius of 25 inches and a central
angle that measures 6 radians. What is the length,
in inches, of the arc that is intercepted by the
central angle?
𝐴 𝐸 𝐷 𝐶

In the figure above, if 𝛥𝐸𝐵𝐷 is equilateral and

𝐴𝐸 = 𝐸𝐷 = 𝐷𝐶 = 10, what is the length of 𝐵𝐶 ?

A. 10√2
B. 10√3 24.
C. 15 If the length of 𝐴𝐵 is 5 and the length of 𝐵𝐶 is 6,
D. 20 which of the following could be the length of 𝐴𝐶 ?

A. 10
B. 12
C. 13
D. 15

22. 25.

𝑥° 100° 𝑙

𝐶 4

𝑚 𝐵
1.5

45°

𝐴
In the figure above, 𝑙 ⫽ 𝑚. What is the value of 𝑥 ?
In the figure above, the sector of a circle was
A. 40 formed from a circle of radius 𝐵𝐶 = 4 by taking
B. 45 away a sector with central angle 1.5 radians. Point
C. 50 𝐶 is the center of the original circle. What is the
D. 55 area of the remaining circular sector?

A. 6
B. 12
C. 8𝜋 − 6
D. 16𝜋 − 12

24
 COORDINATE GEOMETRY
The coordinate plane is the grid of boxes on which the 𝑥- and 𝑦-axes are placed and coordinate
points called ordered pairs, (𝑥, 𝑦), can be plotted. The 𝑥-axis and the 𝑦-axis meet at the origin, a point
with coordinates (0, 0). The 𝑥-coordinate of a point on the coordinate plane is the distance from that
point to the 𝑦-axis, and the 𝑦-coordinate of a point on the coordinate plane is the distance from that
point to the 𝑥-axis. The 𝑥-axis and 𝑦-axis also split the coordinate plane into four quadrants named
𝐼, 𝐼𝐼, 𝐼𝐼𝐼, and 𝐼𝑉

For example, in the coordinate plane shown below, point 𝑃 is in the first quadrant and has
coordinates of (3, 5), which means that point 𝑃 is 3 units from the 𝑦-axis and 5 units from the 𝑥-axis.

Midpoint

In the 𝑥𝑦- coordinate, the midpoint 𝑀(𝑥𝑀 , 𝑦𝑀 ) of two points 𝐴(𝑥1 , 𝑦1 ) and 𝐵(𝑥2 , 𝑦2 ) is

𝒙𝟏 + 𝒙𝟐
𝒙𝑴 =
{ 𝟐
𝒚𝟏 + 𝒚𝟐
𝒚𝑴 =
𝟐

Example 6:

What is the midpoint of 𝐴(3, 2) and (7, 6) ?

𝑥 +𝑥 3+7 10
𝑥𝑀 = 1 2 2 𝑥𝑀 = 2
= 2 =5
Using the midpoint formula { 𝑦 +𝑦 → { 2+6 8
𝑦𝑀 = 1 2 2 𝑦𝑀 = 2 = 2 = 4

→ The midpoint of 𝐴(3, 2) and 𝐵(7, 6) is (5, 4)

25
 Example 7:

Point 𝑀(1, 2) is the midpoint of 𝐶(𝑥𝑐 , 5) and 𝐷(−2, 𝑦𝐷 ). What is the value of 𝑥𝐶 and 𝑦𝐷 ?

𝑥 +𝑥 𝑥𝐶 +(−2)
𝑥𝑀 = 1 2 2 𝑥𝑀 = 1 = 2
Using the midpoint formula { 𝑦 +𝑦 →{ 5+𝑦𝐷
𝑦𝑀 = 1 2 2 𝑦𝑀 = 2 = 2

𝑥𝐶 − 2 = 2
→{
𝑦𝐷 + 5 = 4

𝑥𝐶 = 4
→{
𝑦𝐷 = −1

→ 𝐶(4, 5) and 𝐷(−2, −1)

Distance

In the 𝑥𝑦-coordinate, the distance between two points 𝐴(𝑥1 , 𝑦1 ) and 𝐵(𝑥2 , 𝑦2 ) is calculated by the
formula below

̅̅̅̅ = √(𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙𝟏 )𝟐 + (𝒚𝟐 − 𝒚𝟏 )𝟐

𝑨𝑩

Example 8:

What is the distance between 𝐴(7, 5) and 𝐵(10, 9)

Using the distance formula ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐵 = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2
̅̅̅̅ = √(10 − 7)2 + (9 − 5)2 = √32 + 42 = √9 + 16 = √25 = 5
→ 𝐴𝐵

̅̅̅̅ = 5
→ 𝐴𝐵

Example 9:

The distance between 𝐶(1, 3) and 𝐷(6, 𝑦𝐷 ) is 13. What is the value of 𝑦𝐷 ?

Using the distance formula ̅̅̅̅

𝐶𝐷 = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2

26
 → ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷 = 13 = √(6 − 1)2 + (𝑦𝐷 − 3)2 = √52 + (𝑦𝐷 − 3)2
Square both sides of the equation → 169 = 52 + (𝑦𝐷 − 3)2
= 25 + (𝑦𝐷 − 3)2
Subtract both sides by 25 → (𝑦𝐷 − 3)2 = 169 − 25 = 144
Take the square root of both sides → |𝑦𝐷 − 3| = 12
𝑦 − 3 = 12
→{ 𝐷
𝑦𝐷 − 3 = −12
𝑦 = 15
→{ 𝐷
𝑦𝐷 = −9

→ 𝐷(6, 15) or 𝐷(6, −9)

Circle equation

In the 𝑥𝑦-coordinate plane, the equation of a circle with center at (𝒉, 𝒌) and radius 𝒓 can be written
in its center-radius form:

(𝒙 − 𝒉)𝟐 + (𝒚 − 𝒌)𝟐 = 𝒓𝟐

The equation of circle can also be given in the general form: 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒚𝟐 + 𝑨𝒙 + 𝑩𝒚 = 𝑪, in which 𝐴, 𝐵,
and 𝐶 are constants. We can’t immediately identify the center and the radius of the circle with this form.
We will need to use Complete the square method to transform the general form of the circle to its
center-radius form.

Example 10:

What are the center and the radius of the circle with equation (𝑥 − 4)2 + (𝑦 + 3)2 = 25

The center-radius form of a circle is (𝑥 − ℎ)2 + (𝑦 − 𝑘)2 = 𝑟 2

→ Center (4, −3) and radius 𝑟 = 5

27
 Example 11:

What are the center and the radius of the circle with equation 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 4𝑥 − 6𝑦 = 23

Complete the square with 𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 → 𝑥 2 + 2(2)𝑥 + 22 − 22

→ (𝑥 + 2)2 − 4

Complete the square with 𝑦 2 − 6𝑦 → 𝑦 2 − 2(3)𝑦 + 32 − 32

→ (𝑦 − 3)2 − 9

Transform the equation to center-radius form: 𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 + 𝑦 2 − 6𝑦 = 23

→ (𝑥 + 2)2 − 4 + (𝑦 − 3)2 − 9 = 23
→ (𝑥 + 2)2 + (𝑦 − 3)2 − 13 = 23
Add both sides by 13 → (𝑥 + 2)2 + (𝑦 − 3)2 = 36

→ Center (−2, 3) and radius 𝑟 = 6

Some questions will ask us to determine whether the given points are inside, outside or on a circle. To
solve these questions, we just have to replace the coordinates of the point into the center-radius form of
the circle and compare the result with the radius.

Example 12:

Which of the following points is in the interior of the circle (𝑥 − 3)2 + (𝑦 − 1)2 = 25
A. (0, 5)
B. (1, 3)
C. (2, 6)
D. (8, 3)

If the point is in the interior of the circle, the distance from the center of the circle to that
point is smaller than the length of the radius.

Point Equation Compared to radius Location

(0, 5) 2
(0 − 3) + (5 − 1) = 25 2 Same On the circle
(1, 3) (1 − 3)2 + (3 − 1)2 = 8 Smaller Inside the circle
(2, 6) 2
(2 − 3) + (6 − 1) = 26 2 Greater Outside the circle
(8, 3) (8 − 3)2 + (3 − 1)2 = 29 Greater Outside the circle

→ Option B is correct

28
Practice

1. 4.
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has its center at the
point (−6,1). If the point (7,12) lies on the (𝑥 + 16)2 + (𝑦 − 25)2 = 36
circle what is the radius of the circle? Round the
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has the equation shown
answer to the nearest tenth.
above. Which of the following correctly
describes the location of the center of the circle
and the length of its radius?

A. Center: (16, −25)

Radius: 6
2. B. Center: (−16, 25)
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has its center on the Radius: 36
line 𝑦 = 1. If the point (2, −3) lies on the circle
C. Center: (−16, 25)
and the radius is 4, which of the following could
be the center of the circle? Radius: 6
D. Center: (16, −25)
A. (2,1) Radius: 36
B. (2, −3)
C. (4,1)
D. (−4,1)
5.
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has its center on the line
𝑥 = 3. If the point (4, 5) lies on the circle and
the radius √2, which of the following could be
3. the center of the circle?
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has a diameter with
A. (3, 3)
endpoints at (0,3) and (−4,0). Which of the
following is an equation of the circle? B. (3, 4)
C. (3, 5)
3 2 25
A. (𝑥 − ) + (𝑦 + 2)2 = D. (3, 7)
2 2
5
B. (𝑥 + 4)2 + (𝑦 − 3)2 =
4
3 2 5
C. (𝑥 + 2)2 + (𝑦 − ) =
2 2
3 2 25
D. (𝑥 + 2)2 + (𝑦 − ) =
2 4

29
 6. 9.
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has the equation A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has its center at
𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 − 14𝑦 − 51 = 0. What is the center of 1 2 5
( , − ) . If the point (0, ) lies on the circle,
the circle? 2 3 6
which of the following is an equation of the
A. (51,14)
circle?
B. (7,10)
C. (0,0) 1 2 2 2 5
A. (𝑥 − ) + (𝑦 + ) =
D. (0,7) 2 3 2
1 2 2 2 5
B. (𝑥 − ) + (𝑦 − ) =
2 3 2
1 2 2 2
7. C. (𝑥 − ) + (𝑦 + ) = 5
2 3
Which of the following is an equation of a circle
in the 𝑥𝑦-plane with center (1,4) and a radius of 2 2 1 2 5
D. (𝑥 + ) + (𝑦 − ) =
3 2 2
2?

A. (𝑥 − 1)2 + (𝑦 − 4)2 = 2
B. (𝑥 + 1)2 + (𝑦 + 4)2 = 2
C. (𝑥 − 1)2 + (𝑦 − 4)2 = 4
10.
D. (𝑥 + 1)2 + (𝑦 + 4)2 = 4

8.
A circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane has the equation
55
2𝑥 2 + 2𝑦 2 − 8𝑥 − 5𝑦 −
8 = 0. What is the
diameter of the circle? The circle in the 𝑥𝑦-plane above has center
(5,7) and intersects the 𝑦-axis at the origin and
at point 𝑃. What is the 𝑦-coordinate of 𝑃 ?

30
 III. TRIGONOMETRY
There are three trigonometry functions that will appear on the SAT: sine, cosine, and tangent.

• The sine of an angle is equal to the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the length
of the hypotenuse.
• The cosine of an angle is equal to the length of the side adjacent to the angle divided by the
length of the hypotenuse.
• The tangent of an angle is equal to the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the
length of the base adjacent to the angle.
• We can use the mnemonic device SOHCAHTOA

𝑂𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐴𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑂𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒

𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒 = 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒 = 𝑇𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
𝐻𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐻𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐴𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡

Opposite

𝐴 𝐵
Adjacent

Let’s examine the right triangle 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶 shown above. In relation to ∝, 𝐵𝐶 is the opposite side, 𝐴𝐵 is
the adjeacent side, and 𝐴𝐶 is the hypotenuse of the right triangle 𝛥𝐴𝐵𝐶. We have:

𝐵𝐶 𝐴𝐵 𝐵𝐶
𝑠𝑖𝑛(∝) = 𝑐𝑜𝑠(∝) = 𝑡𝑎𝑛(∝) =
𝐴𝐶 𝐴𝐶 𝐴𝐵

Example 13:
𝐶
In triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 to the right, 𝐵 is a right
angle, and the sides have the lengths 17
8
indicated. What is the value of sin (𝐴) ?
𝐴 𝐵
15
The side opposite angle 𝐴 is 𝐵𝐶 = 8, and the hypotenuse of the triangle is 𝐴𝐶 = 17
𝑜𝑝𝑝 𝐵𝐶 8
→ sin(𝐴) = = =
ℎ𝑦𝑝 𝐴𝐶 17

31
 Example 14:
3
In a right triangle, one angle measure 𝑥°, where sin(𝑥°) = . What is tan (𝑥°) and sin(90° − 𝑥°) ?
5

Let’s construct a right triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶, with ⦟𝐵 = 90° and ⦟𝐴 = 𝑥°

𝐶

𝐵 𝐴

𝐵𝐶 3
→ sin(𝑥°) = sin(𝐴) = = → 𝐵𝐶 = 3 and 𝐴𝐶 = 5
𝐴𝐶 5

Special Right Triangle 3 − 4 − 5 → 𝐴𝐵 = 4

𝐵𝐶 3
→ tan(𝑥°) = tan(𝐴) =
𝐴𝐵 = 4

Since ⦟𝐵 = 90° and ⦟𝐴 = 𝑥° → ⦟𝐶 = 90° − 𝑥°

𝐴𝐵 4
→ sin(90° − 𝑥°) = sin(𝐶) = =
𝐴𝐶 5

3 4
→ tan(𝑥°) = and sin(90° − 𝑥°) =
4 5

Practice

1. 2.
In a right triangle, one angle measures 𝑎°, where 𝐶
3 17
cos(𝑎°) = . What is sin(𝑎°) ? 8
8
𝐴 𝐵
15
In the figure above, 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle. What
is the value of sin(𝐴) ?

32
 3. 5.
𝐷 𝐴

𝐶 24 𝐵
𝐹 𝐸

In right triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹 in the figure above, angle 𝐸 In the figure above, 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right triangle, and
4 the length of 𝐵𝐶 is 24. If sin(𝐴) = 0.75, what is
is a right angle. If cos(𝐹) = and 𝐷𝐹 = 15, what
5 the length of 𝐴𝐶 ?
is the length of 𝐷𝐸 ?
A. 16
B. 18
C. 30
D. 32

4. 6.
In a right triangle, one angle measure 𝑏°, where If angle 𝐵 of isosceles triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is a right angle,
1 what is the tangent of angle 𝐴?
sin(𝑏°) = . What is cos (90° − 𝑏°) ?
5
A. 0
1
A 1
5 B.
2
2
B C. 1
5
3 √2
C D.
5 2
4
D
5

33