Hello again! The work you did on Days 1 & 2 was to define what central and inscribed angles are. Today, you'll connect those ideas to what you already know about a circle's circumference and area. Before we start, let's review those concepts just in case you've forgotten.[br][br]In the sketch below, you'll see a circle centered at point C, and I've given you a slider that allows you to adjust the radius of the circle.[br][br]Hopefully, the names of the three buttons on the left give you an idea of what they each do, but go ahead and click the first two to see if they remind you of the difference between circumference and area. Then answer Questions #1 and #2 below the sketch.
What is circumference, and what is the formula for it? (Remember, you're not penalized for wrong answers. You're just getting feedback when you check your answer.)
Circumference is the distance around a circle. The formula is [math]C=2\pi r[/math] or [math]C=\pi d[/math], where [math]r[/math] is the radius of the circle, and [math]d[/math] is the diameter.
What is the area of a circle, and what is the formula for it?
The area of a circle is a measure of the number of unit squares (square inches, square miles, etc.) that are needed to cover the circle. The formula is [math]A=\pi r^2[/math], where[math]r[/math] is the radius of the circle.
You just reviewed how to calculate the distance around a circle (circumference), but what if you don't want to travel [i]all the way around [/i]the circle? This is a measurement called "arc length", and [i]it is vital that you understand that it is different than arc measure[/i]. To understand this consider the sketch below.[br][br]When the sketch loads, the radius of the circle will be 3, and you should see a central angle with a measure of 90 degrees. Notice that the length of the red arc is 4.7 units. Make the radius bigger, but leave the angle alone. Then answer the question below.
When you made the circle radius bigger, the central angle remained 90 degrees. What happened to the arc length?
The arc length got bigger.
Now make the radius three again, and then change the size of the central angle, either using the slider, or type in exactly what angle you'd like. The size of the radius of the circle isn't affected by this. What happened to the arc length?
The arc length got bigger again.
What is the lesson Questions #3 and #4? How can you change the length of an arc?
You can change the length of an arc by changing the central angle measure or the radius of the circle.
In the sketch, two calculations are shown. The first, of course, is circumference. Describe what the circumference is multiplied by to give arc length.
The circumference is multiplied by a fraction involving the central angle measure and 360 degrees. In other words, the [i]length [/i]of the arc [math]=\frac{m\angle ACB}{360^{\circ}}\cdot2\cdot\pi\cdot r[/math].
Congratulations! You've reached the final topic of the week! First thing's first. In the sketch below, you will see a blue-shaded region formed by two radiuses (radii) of the circle and the arc between them. This region is called a sector. It should be obvious that we don't measure the [i]length [/i]of a sector, but its [i]area[/i]. [br][br]When the sketch loads, the radius of the circle will be 3, and you should see a central angle with a measure of 90 degrees, just like the previous sketch. Notice that the area of the sector is 7.1 square units. Make the radius bigger, but leave the central angle alone. Then answer the question below.
When you made the circle radius bigger, the central angle remained 90 degrees. What happened to the area of the sector?
The area of the sector got bigger.
Now make the radius three again, and then change the size of the central angle, either using the slider, or type in exactly what angle you'd like. The size of the radius of the circle isn't affected by this. What happened to the area of the sector?
The area of the sector got bigger again.
What is the lesson Questions #7 and #8? How can you change the area of a sector?
You can change the area of a sector by changing the central angle measure or the radius of the circle.
In the sketch, two calculations are shown. The first, of course, is the area of the circle. Describe what the area of the circle is multiplied by to give the area of the sector.
The area of the circle is multiplied by a fraction involving the central angle measure and 360 degrees. In other words, the [i]area [/i]of the sector [math]=\frac{m\angle ACB}{360^{\circ}}\cdot\pi\cdot r^2[/math].
That's it for Days 3 & 4. Before you start on the practice exercises, try the practice problems on your notes page, first. Then check your work at the video below to be sure you're understanding! Good luck!