<p>the three distinct points p q and r lie on a circle with center p, if the radius of the circle is 1 what is the value of PQ+PR+PS+PT?</p>
<p>the answer says 4, but what if you draw it like this: Q---S----P----T----R on a strght line on the circle, u get 3 </p>
<p>then u get 3?!?!?</p>
<p>oh come on 55 views no response?</p>
<p>Where are points S and T?</p>
<p>How can point p lie on the circle if p is the center of the circle?</p>
<p>That’s why no one is responding - the problem makes no sense.</p>
<p>Exactly…if P is the center of the circle, and Q,R,S,T lie on the circle, the answer is clearly 4.</p>
<p>what if q r s t all lay on the diameter</p>
<p>The problem says they “lie on the circle” which means on the line of the circle, not the diameter. The diameter is not a given/drawn part of a circle.</p>
<p>I request fIRElION to re-write the problem very carefully. Sometimes problem statements are case-sensitive. But still, as Sikorsky pointed out in post 4, the point p cannot be on the circle AND be the center point. Unless the “circle” is degenerate and has radius 0, but that is not the case here.</p>
<p>[EDIT: Eh, never mind.]</p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC</p>
<p>why did u write my name like tht JeFfGoRdoN?</p>
<p>jeffgordon’s trying to make a point. Label your points consistently by using all uppercase, i.e.</p>
<p>“The three distinct points P, Q, R lie on a circle…”</p>
<p>But still, your question’s unclear. We don’t know what points S and T are, or where on/in the circle they are.</p>
<p>PLEASE post the problem EXACTLY as it appears in whatever source you’re using.</p>
<p>And no, we’re not harassing you. We’re trying to HELP! But we can’t do that if the problem is not stated accurately.</p>
<p>FireLion, assuming all 4 points (not P) are ON the circle, that means by definition they are equi-distant from the center of the circle (which is not ON the circle). If the points could be anywhere IN the circle, the answer would not be defined, even if they are required to be on a straight line.</p>
<p>Go back to the definition of a circle - a set of points equi-distant from a single point. That point is P. Because the radius is 1, all the other points are 1 unit away from P, and the answer must be 4. It doesn’t matter where on the circle those 4 points are, because the are all by definition 1 unit away from P.</p>
<p>the three distinct points Q S T and R lie on a circle with center P, if the radius of the circle is 1 what is the value of PQ+PR+PS+PT?</p>
<p>There must be a misprint in your source. Q,S,T,R are four distinct points, not three. But it should be fairly obvious that each of those segments you mentioned are radii of the circle. Then the sum of four radii would measure 1+1+1+1.</p>
<p>why cant Q S T and R lie on the diameter of Circle P?</p>
<p>Because the only point on the diameter that are also on the circle are the two points where the diameter intersects the circle. Nothing says they cannot be on the diameter, but if they are, they still must ALSO be on the circle, and by definition, 1 segment away from P.</p>
<p>As I stated before, you need to understand what the question is asking on a very basic level. They are not saying 3 point within the circle, but 3 points that are on the circle, or are part of the circumfrence of the circle. You are adding requirements (that the points be in a straight line), and ignoring those that define the problem.</p>
<p>I don’t think you understand the concept of a circle. A circle is the collection of all points lying equidistant from another common point - the center. The diameter is the collection of all points on a line passing through the center of the circle and terminating at the points where the line intersects the circle. Therefore, as CTScoutmom said, only TWO points on the diameter lie on the circle. Therefore, the concept of the diameter is irrelevant. Go draw a circle on a sheet of paper and see for yourself.</p>
<p>It’s really really simple:</p>
<p>PQ = PR = PS = PT = 1</p>
<p>PQ + PR + PS + PT = 4.</p>