Question 47·Medium·Circles
Note: Figure not drawn to scale.
In circle , the measure of minor arc is units. The circumference of the circle is units. What is the measure, in degrees, of ?
For arc-length and central-angle questions, first form the ratio and simplify, canceling if it appears in both numerator and denominator. That fraction tells you what portion of the full the central angle occupies, so multiply the fraction by to get the angle measure. Always double-check your fraction simplification, because a small mistake there leads to common wrong answers.
Hints
Connect arc length and full circumference
How can you express the length of arc as a fraction of the total circumference of the circle?
Simplify the fraction
Compute and simplify the result. What fraction of the circle is this?
Turn the fraction into an angle
The central angle corresponding to an arc takes up the same fraction of as the arc length takes of the full circumference. Use your fraction from the previous hint to find the angle.
Desmos Guide
Compute the fraction of the circle
In Desmos, type 25*pi/(60*pi) and observe the simplified value; this is the fraction of the circle represented by arc .
Convert the fraction to degrees
Multiply that fraction by 360 in Desmos (for example, type (25*pi/(60*pi))*360 as one expression); the resulting value is the measure in degrees of .
Step-by-step Explanation
Relate arc length to central angle
In a circle, the ratio of an arc’s length to the entire circumference equals the ratio of its central angle (in degrees) to .
So for arc and angle :
Form the fraction of the circle represented by arc AB
You are told the arc length of minor arc is and the circumference is .
So the fraction of the circle that arc represents is
The terms cancel, so this simplifies to
Use the fraction to find the central angle
Since must be the same fraction of as the arc is of the circumference, we have
Multiply both sides by :
Therefore, the measure of is , which corresponds to choice B.