Question 11·Medium·Circles
A circle with center has circumference meters. A central angle of measure radians intercepts arc on the circle. What is the length, in meters, of arc ?
For circle arc questions with radians on the SAT, either (1) use to find the radius, then apply , or (2) treat the central angle as a fraction of and multiply that fraction by the circumference. Always check whether the angle is in degrees or radians—if it is in radians, the formula is usually the fastest and avoids converting units.
Hints
Connect circumference and radius
You are given the circumference of the circle. Which formula links circumference and radius? Use it to find the radius first.
Remember the radian arc length formula
When the central angle is in radians, the arc length formula is simpler than with degrees. Think about the formula involving radius times angle in radians.
Compare the angle to a full circle
A full circle is radians. How does compare to ? Use that fraction of the full circumference to find the arc length.
Desmos Guide
Find the radius from the circumference
In Desmos, type 60pi/(2pi) to compute the radius using . Note the numerical value of the radius from the output.
Compute the arc length using radians
In a new expression line, multiply the radius you found by the angle in radians: type (<radius>)*(2pi/3), replacing <radius> with the value from step 1. The output is the length of arc in meters; match this value to the closest answer choice.
Step-by-step Explanation
Relate circumference to radius
Use the circumference formula and the given circumference to find the radius.
So the radius of the circle is meters.
Use the arc length formula with radians
For a central angle measured in radians, arc length is given by , where is the radius and is the central angle in radians.
Here, and , so
Compute the arc length and match the choice
Simplify the expression for :
So the length of arc is meters, which corresponds to choice B.