Math Help Forum: What is a Locus?

What is a Locus in simple words?

A circle.

Originally Posted by magentarita

What is a Locus in simple words?

A locus is a set of points that satisfy a given condition.

Suppose, for example, : Find the locus of point P that is 6 cm from point C.

Now, see that,

All the points that are 6 cm from C make a circle.

these points lie on a circle with a radius of 6 cm.

Please see diagram

Originally Posted by magentarita

What is a Locus in simple words?

See another example,

Determine the locus of points equidistant from two points A and B

Let us make two circles with centre A and B and equal radius of AM = BM

so, point M is at equal distance from A and B.

change the distance AM = BM and make another circles keeping same centres.

so, the points of intersection of two circles give a line, which is locus (red dotted line in diagram).

See diagram

A locus is a set of points satisfying a certain condition.
A locus is a path. The path is formed by a point which moves according to some rule.

For e.g. If you want to find the locus of a point A lying 1 m away from a given point B, the locus is a circle of radius 1 m, with centre B. That's because A can lie 1 m away from B in any direction, and a circle is that path (locus) which fully describes where A can lie.

I hope that helps.

ILoveMaths07.

Originally Posted by Shyam

A locus is a set of points that satisfy a given condition.

Suppose, for example, : Find the locus of point P that is 6 cm from point C.

Now, see that,

All the points that are 6 cm from C make a circle.

these points lie on a circle with a radius of 6 cm.

Please see diagram

Thank you for the definition and question with picture.

Originally Posted by Shyam

See another example,

Determine the locus of points equidistant from two points A and B

Let us make two circles with centre A and B and equal radius of AM = BM

so, point M is at equal distance from A and B.

change the distance AM = BM and make another circles keeping same centres.

so, the points of intersection of two circles give a line, which is locus (red dotted line in diagram).

See diagram

Thank you ever so much.

Originally Posted by ILoveMaths07

A locus is a set of points satisfying a certain condition.
A locus is a path. The path is formed by a point which moves according to some rule.

For e.g. If you want to find the locus of a point A lying 1 m away from a given point B, the locus is a circle of radius 1 m, with centre B. That's because A can lie 1 m away from B in any direction, and a circle is that path (locus) which fully describes where A can lie.

I hope that helps.

ILoveMaths07.

I now understand it a bit more thanks to people like you.