Question 13·Easy·Circles
In a circle with center , the measure of central angle is , and the radius of the circle is 3.
What is the length of minor arc ?
For circle arc-length questions, immediately write the general formula when the angle is in degrees. Plug in the given central angle and radius, simplify the fraction first, and then multiply it by the circumference . Always check whether your result makes sense: the arc length must be less than the full circumference and should scale proportionally with the central angle.
Hints
Connect arc length to circumference
First think about the circumference of the whole circle. What is the formula for the circumference in terms of the radius ?
Use the fraction of the circle
Arc length is a fraction of the whole circumference. That fraction is when the angle is in degrees.
Substitute the given values
Plug and central angle into the arc length formula and simplify step by step.
Desmos Guide
Use Desmos to compute the arc length expression
In Desmos, type the expression (120/360)*2*pi*3. Look at the numeric output that Desmos gives you, and then match that value to one of the answer choices.
Step-by-step Explanation
Recall how arc length relates to circumference
For a circle with radius , the circumference (distance all the way around) is
The length of a minor arc with central angle is the same fraction of the circumference as is of a full :
Plug in the given radius and central angle
Here, the radius is and the central angle is . Substitute these values into the formula:
Simplify the expression to find the arc length
First simplify the fraction:
Now substitute this back into the expression:
Multiply , so
So, the length of minor arc is , which matches choice A.