Find all circle equations that lie on the unit circle
The unit circle is defined by the equation:
$$x^2 + y^2 = 1$$
To find all circles that lie on the unit circle, we consider the general equation of a circle:
$$ (x – a)^2 + (y – b)^2 = r^2 $$
For the circle to lie on the unit circle, the radius of this circle must be zero, as any larger radius would extend beyond the unit circle. Therefore:
$$ r = 0 $$
Thus, the equation simplifies to a point:
$$ (x – a)^2 + (y – b)^2 = 0 $$
Expanding this gives:
$$ x = a, y = b $$
But since it must lie on the unit circle:
$$ a^2 + b^2 = 1 $$
So, all such points (a, b) lie on the unit circle.
Therefore, the equations of all circles on the unit circle are:
$$ (x – a)^2 + (y – b)^2 = 0 $$ where $$ a^2 + b^2 = 1 $$