Find the area of intersection between the two circles x 2 + ( y − 1) 2 = 1 and

( x − 1) 2 + y 2 = 1 . (See the figure below.)

1.5

0.5

-1 -0.5 0.5 1 1.5 2

-0.5

-1

Solution:

We can see that if we draw the line y = x on the graph, we will split the shaded region
into two equal pieces.

1.5

0.5

-1 -0.5 0.5 1 1.5 2

-0.5

-1
Now, notice that we can form a triangle in the second circle, from the dashed line to the
center at (1,1). It will be a 45º-45º-90º right triangle.
2

1.5

0.5

-1 -0.5 0.5 1 1.5 2

-0.5

-1

π
We know the area of the sector of the circle is since we are dealing with a quarter of
4
1
the circle with radius 1 and we know that the area of the triangle is .
2

π1 π −2
As a result, the area of half of the shaded region is =− . Since we have two of
4 2 4
π −2
those areas in the intersection, the area of the entire intersection will be .
2

We found the area of intersection in the case the radii for both circles was equal to 1. In
the more general case in which both circles have radius r (and have their centers shifted
accordingly), the following formula will compute the area of intersection:

⎛π − 2⎞ 2
⎜ ⎟r .
⎝ 2 ⎠