Question 7·Easy·Circles
In a circle, a central angle measures 120 degrees. The circle has a circumference of 30.
What is the length of the minor arc intercepted by this angle?
For circle arc-length questions where you know a central angle in degrees and the circumference, quickly set up the proportion “arc length / circumference = central angle / 360.” Simplify the angle fraction first to make the arithmetic easier, then multiply that fraction by the given circumference. Always check that you used degrees out of 360 (not radians or another total) and that you’re finding arc length, not area of a sector.
Hints
Think about the whole circle
How many degrees are in a full circle, and how does the given central angle compare to that total?
Use a fraction of the circumference
The arc length is the same fraction of the circumference as the central angle is of . Write that fraction using the given angle.
Multiply the fraction by 30
Once you know what fraction of the circle represents, multiply that fraction by the circle's circumference, 30.
Desmos Guide
Enter the arc length formula as a single expression
In Desmos, type the expression 120/360 * 30 to represent for this problem.
Read the numeric result
Look at the numeric value Desmos outputs for 120/360 * 30; that value is the length of the minor arc intercepted by the angle.
Step-by-step Explanation
Relate the central angle to the whole circle
A full circle has . A central angle of is part of that full circle.
Find what fraction of the circle the angle represents:
This fraction tells you what part of the full circumference the arc will be.
Simplify the fraction of the circle
Simplify :
So the central angle covers of the entire circle. That means the minor arc length is of the circle's total circumference.
Apply the fraction to the circumference to get the arc length
The circle's full circumference is . The arc is of this:
So, the length of the minor arc intercepted by the central angle is .