Find the coordinates of the circumcentre of the triangle whose vertices are (3, 0), (−1, −6) and (4, −1). Also, find its circumradius.
The distance $d$ between two points $\left(x_{1}, y_{1}\right)$ and $\left(x_{2}, y_{2}\right)$ is given by the formula
$d=\sqrt{\left(x_{1}-x_{2}\right)^{2}+\left(y_{1}-y_{2}\right)^{2}}$
The circumcentre of a triangle is the point which is equidistant from each of the three vertices of the triangle.
Here the three vertices of the triangle are given to be A(3,0), B(−1,−6) and C(4,−1)
Let the circumcentre of the triangle be represented by the point R(x, y).
So we have
$A R=\sqrt{(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}}$
$B R=\sqrt{(-1-x)^{2}+(-6-y)^{2}}$
$C R=\sqrt{(4-x)^{2}+(-1-y)^{2}}$
Equating the first pair of these equations we have,
$A R=B R$
$\sqrt{(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}}=\sqrt{(-1-x)^{2}+(-6-y)^{2}}$
Squaring on both sides of the equation we have,
$(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}=(-1-x)^{2}+(-6-y)^{2}$
$9+x^{2}-6 x+y^{2}=1+x^{2}+2 x+36+y^{2}+12 y$
$8 x+12 y=-28$
$2 x+3 y=-7$
Equating another pair of the equations we have,
$A R=C R$
$\sqrt{(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}}=\sqrt{(4-x)^{2}+(-1-y)^{2}}$
Squaring on both sides of the equation we have,
$(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}=(4-x)^{2}+(-1-y)^{2}$
$9+x^{2}-6 x+y^{2}=16+x^{2}-8 x+1+y^{2}+2 y$
$2 x-2 y=8$
$x-y=4$
Now we have two equations for ‘x’ and ‘y’, which are
$2 x+3 y=-7$
$x-y=4$
From the second equation we have. Substituting this value of ‘y’ in the first equation we have,
$2 x+3(x-4)=-7$
$2 x+3 x-12=-7$
$5 x=5$
$x=1$
Therefore the value of ‘y’ is,
$y=x-4$
$=1-4$
$y=-3$
Hence the co-ordinates of the circumcentre of the triangle with the given vertices are.
The length of the circumradius can be found out substituting the values of ‘x’ and ‘y’ in ‘AR’
$A R=\sqrt{(3-x)^{2}+(-y)^{2}}$
$=\sqrt{(3-1)^{2}+(3)^{2}}$
$=\sqrt{(2)^{2}+(3)^{2}}$
$=\sqrt{4+9}$
$A R=\sqrt{13}$
Thus the circumradius of the given triangle is $\sqrt{13}$ units