Parts of a Circle

There are many parts of a circle that make it a circle. A circle is a 2D shape and is
measured in terms of its radius. The word ‘Circle’ is derived from the Greek word 'kirkos'
meaning ‘ring’ or ‘hoop’. The parts of a circle include the radius, diameter,
circumference, and so on. Let us learn about the circle and its parts in detail.
Definition of a Circle

A circle can be defined as a 2D figure formed by a set of points that are adjacent to
each other and are equidistant from a fixed point. The fixed point in this curved plane
figure is called the center of the circle, the common distance between the points from
the center is called a radius, and a line that crosses from the center of the circle starting
from one point to the other is called a diameter. A circle has two main regions namely,
the interior of a circle and the exterior of a circle. The interior of a circle consists of the
region inside the circle and the exterior of a circle is the region outside the cirle.

What are the Parts of a Circle?

Circle and its Parts

The different parts of a circle are listed below:

 Circumference
 Radius
 Diameter
 Chord
 Tangent
 Secant
 Arc
 Segment
 Sector

Let us discuss each of the parts in detail.

The circumference of a circle is its boundary. In other words, when we measure the
boundary or the distance around the circle, that measure is called the circumference
and it is expressed in units of length like centimeters, meters, or kilometers. The
circumference of a circle has three most important elements namely, the center, the
diameter, and the radius.
Since we cannot use the ruler (scale) to measure the distance of this curved figure, we
apply a formula that uses the radius, diameter, and the value of Pi (π). The formulas for
the circumference of a circle are given as follows:
 When the radius is given: Circumference of a circle formula = 2πr
 When the diameter is given: Circumference of a circle formula = π × D

Where,
 r = radius of the circle.
 D = diameter of the circle.
 π = Pi with the value approximated to 3.14159 or 22/7.
Radius of a Circle

The radius of a circle is the length of the line segment joining the center
of the circle to any point on the circumference of the circle. A circle can have
many radii (the plural form of radius) and they measure the same. Usually, the
radius of a circle is denoted by 'r'.
To calculate the radius of a circle when the diameter, area of a circle, and
circumference is known, we use the following formulas:
 Radius of Circle = Diameter / 2 - The diameter is twice the length of the radius and is
also the longest chord of the circle. When the diameter is known, we use this formula.
 Radius of Circle = Circumference / 2π - The circumference is the perimeter of the
circle and when the circumference is given, we use this formula.
 Radius of Circle = √(Area/π) - The area of a circle is the space inside the circle.
Hence, when the area of the circle is given, we use this formula.

Diameter of a Circle
The diameter of a circle is a line segment that passes through the center of the
circle and with endpoints that lie on the circumference of a circle. The
diameter is also known as the longest chord of the circle and is twice the
length of the radius. The diameter is measured from one end of the circle to a
point on the other end of the circle, passing through the center. The diameter
is denoted by the letter D. There can be an infinite number of diameters where
the length of each diameter of the circle is length.
To calculate the diameter of a circle when the radius, area of a circle, and
circumference is known, we use the following formulas:
 Diameter = Circumference/π (used when the circumference is given)
 Diameter = Radius × 2 (used when the radius is given)
 Diameter = 2√(Area/π) (used when the area of the circle is given)

Chord of a Circle
A chord of a circle is a line segment that joins two points on the circumference of the
circle. A chord divides the circle into two regions known as the segment of the circle
which can be referred to as minor segment and major segment depending on the area
covered by the chord. In a circle, when the chord is extended infinitely on both sides it
becomes a secant. In the figure given below, PQ is represented as the chord of the
circle with O as the center.

To calculate the chord of a circle, we use two basic formulas:

Where,
 r is the radius of the circle
 c is the angle subtended at the center by the chord
 d is the perpendicular distance from the chord to the circle center.

Tangent of a Circle
The tangent of a circle is defined as a straight line that touches the curve of the
circle at only one point and does not enter the circle’s interior. The tangent
touches the circle's radius at a right angle. The two main aspects to remember
in the tangent is the slope (m) and a point on the line. The general equation
or formula of the tangent to a circle is:
 The tangent to a circle equation x2 + y2 = a2 for a line y = mx + c is given by the
equation y = mx ± a √[1+ m2]
 The tangent to a circle equation x2+ y2 = a2 at (a1, b1) is xa1 + yb1 = a2. This means that
the equation of the tangent is expressed as xa1 + yb1 = a2, where a1 and b1 are the
coordinates at which the tangent is made.

Secant of a Circle

The secant of a circle is the line that cuts across the circle intersecting the circle
at two distinct points. The difference between a chord and a secant is that a
chord is a line segment whose endpoints are on the circumference of the
circle whereas a secant passes through the circle forming a chord or diameter
of the circle.
There are three secant theorems used in the circle which are given below:
 Theorem 1: When two secants intersect at an exterior point, the product of the one
whole secant segment and its external segment is equal to the product of the other
whole secant segment and its external segment.
 Theorem 2: Two secants can intersect inside or outside a circle.
 Theorem 3: If a secant and a tangent are drawn to a circle from a common exterior
point, then the product of the length of the whole secant segment and its external
secant segment is equal to the square of the length of the tangent segment.

The figure given below shows the secant PQ and the chord AB.

 Arc
of a Circle
The arc of a circle is the curved part or a part of the circumference of a circle. In other
words, the curved portion of an object is mathematically called an arc. The arc of a
circle has two arcs namely, minor arc and major arc. To find the measure of these arcs
we need to find the length of the arc along with the angle suspended by the arc of any
two points. To calculate the length of the arc we use different formulas based on the unit
of the central angle (degrees or radians). For a circle, the arc length formula is θ times
the radius of a circle. The formulas are:

 Arc Length = θ × r (used for radians)

Where,
 L = Length of an Arc
 θ = Central angle of Arc
 r = Radius of the circle

Segment of a Circle

A segment of a circle is the region that is bounded by an arc and a chord of the circle.
There are two types of segments - minor segment and major segment. A minor
segment is made by a minor arc and a major segment is made by a major arc of the
circle. To calculate the segment of a circle, we consider the area of the segment which
consists of a sector (arc + 2 radii) and a triangle. Hence, the formula for the area of a
segment can be expressed as follows
 Area of a segment of circle = area of the sector - area of the triangle

 Note: To find the area of the major segment of a circle, we just subtract the
corresponding area of the minor segment from the total area of the circle.

Sector of a Circle

A sector of a circle is a pie-shaped part of a circle made of the arc along with its
two radii dividing the circle into a minor sector and a major sector. The larger
portion of the circle is called the major sector whereas the smaller portion of
the circle is called the minor sector. The 2 radii meet at the part of the
circumference of a circle known as an arc, forming a sector of a circle. The
formulas to calculate the sector of the circle are:
  Area of a sector (A) = (θ/360°) × πr2 (when the angle is given)
 Length of a section (l) = (θπr) /180 (when the length is given)
 Area of a sector of a circle = (l × r)/2 (when the length and radius is given)
 Perimeter of a sector of a circle = 2 Radius + ((θ/360) × 2πr )

Where,
 r = radius of the circle.
 l = length of the arc.
 θ = angle in degrees.
 π = Pi with the value approximated to 3.14159 or 22/7.

Example 1: The circumference of a wheel is 540 cm. Find its radius and diameter.

Solution:

Given, the Circumference of the wheel = 540 cm.

 540 = 2πr
540 = 2 × 22/7 × r
r = 85.9 cm
Diameter = 2r
Diameter = 2 × 85.9
Therefore, the radius is 85.9 cm, and the diameter is 171.8 cm.

Example 2: Identify the parts of a circle and state true or false for the following statements:

a.) OS is the radius of the circle.

b.) PQ is the secant of the circle.

c.) If we join O and P, then OP can also be called the radius of the circle.

circle.
Solution:

a.) True, OS is the radius of the circle.

b.) False, PQ is not the secant of the circle. It is the chord of the circle.

c.) True, if we join O and P, then OP can also be called the radius of the circle.

Example 3: Find the diameter of a circle if its circumference is 88 cm.

Solution: If the circumference is given, we can find the diameter of a circle using
the following formula:

Diameter = Circumference/π

After substituting the value of circumference = 88 cm, and π = 3.14, we get, Diameter
= Circumference/π

Diameter = 88/3.14

= 28.02 cm

Therefore, the diameter of the circle is 28.02 cm.