Difference between circle and sphere is that a circle is a closed curved line with all its points present at a fixed distance from a fixed point while a sphere is a round object in space with all its point at equal distances from its center in a 3-D space. Circles and spheres and some of the most popular and studied figures in analytic geometry. Both circles and spheres are circular but circles are two-dimensional figures that can be presented on any plane whereas spheres are 3-dimensional objects. Another area of difference between a sphere and a circle is the volume. We cannot find the volume but only the surface of a circle but we can find the volume of a sphere.

Circle: A circle is a two-dimensional closed curved figure. It is defined as a locus of points that are at a fixed distance from a given point called its center. Some of the distinct characteristics of a circle are its diameter, its radius, circumference, tangent, chord, and more. When we have to measure a circle, we simply find the length of its radius. Radius by definition is the line that joins the center of a circle to any point on its circumference.

In the above figure, C is a circle with a center O, radius R, and Diameter as D. Some of the common examples of circles are circular walk clocks, discs, etc.

Sphere: A sphere in contrast to a circle is a closed three-dimensional figure. It can be defined as the locus of all the points in three dimensions, at equal distances from a fixed point called the centre of the sphere. We can also define it as the figure generated by the rotation of a circle about its diameter.

Some of the characteristic parameters of a sphere are its diameter, volume, surface area, etc. Here, the diameter of a sphere is a line that joins any two points on the surface of the sphere and passes through the centre of the sphere.

The above figure is a sphere with a radius r. Some common examples of spheres are tennis balls, oranges, eyeballs, etc.

What is Difference Between Circle and Sphere?

The important difference between circle and sphere are given in the table below:

What is Circle of a Sphere?

A circle of a sphere is basically a circle that lies on the surface of a sphere. Such circles can be formed when a plane passes through a sphere or when one sphere intersects another sphere.

In the given figure, the center of the sphere is C and CB is the radius and the center of the circle of a sphere is A, with radius as AB. If the plane of the circle of a sphere passes through the center of the sphere, it is called a great circle, otherwise, it is known as a small circle. The radius of such circles on spheres is equal to or less than the radius of the sphere on which they are present.

Learn about Area of Sphere

Solved Examples of Difference Between Circle and Sphere

Example 1: Find the surface area of a ball with a radius 10cm.

Ans: Radius of the ball = 10 cm

Surface area of a sphere is given by = \(4\pi r^2\)

=\(4\pi\ \left(10\right)^2\)

=\(4\pi\ \times100\)

=\(400\pi\ \) sq. cm.

Example 2: Find the circumference of a circle whose radius is 7cm.

Ans: Radius of a circle = 7cm

Circumference of a circle is given by = \(2\pi r\)

= \(2\pi\times7\)

= \(14\pi\) cm

Example 3: Find the volume of a sphere with radius 14 cm.

Ans: Radius of a sphere = 14 cm

Volume of a sphere = \(\frac{4}{3}\pi r^2\)

=\(\frac{4}{3}\pi\left(14\right)^2\)

=\(\frac{4}{3}\pi\times196\)

=\(\frac{784}{3}\pi\)

=\(\frac{784}{3}\times\frac{22}{7}\)

=\(\frac{112\times22}{3}\)

=\(\frac{2464}{3}\)

=821.33 cu. Cm

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