Geometry

HS Mathematics
Unit: 08 Lesson: 01

Applications of Arc Length and Sectors

A sector of a circle is a region of the circle bounded by a central angle and its intercepted arc.
o o
50 90

A proportional relationship exists between the central angle bounding the sector and the complete
circle. You have previously discovered a function that could be used to predict the arc length of a
circle of radius 1 given a central angle value or degrees of rotation. The function you discovered for
arc length of a circle of radius 1 is given below.

(Arc Length) = (degrees of rotation)
180

Another way to look at arc length is to think about part to whole relationships. As you collected data
for your table in the previous activity, you discovered that arc length is simply a portion of the circle’s
circumference and can be expressed in terms of  . This relationship can be summarized
proportionally for a circle of any given radius, r, as follows,
Arc Length Degrees of Rotation

2 r 360

Similarly, you discovered a function that could be used to predict the area swept by a central angle or
an angle of rotation of a circle of radius 1.

(Area Swept by Angle of Rotation) = (degrees of rotation)
360
As you collected data for your table in the previous activity, you discovered that, like arc length, area
of a sector (or area swept) is proportional to the circle’s area and can be expressed in terms of p .
This relationship is summarized proportionally for a circle of any given radius, r, below.
Area Swept Degrees of Rotation

r 2 360

Example: (Round to the nearest tenth as necessary.)

1. If the radii of the above circles are both equal to 12 inches, find the arc length and area of each
sector.

©2012, TESCCC 04/26/13 page 1 of 3

 Geometry
HS Mathematics
Unit: 08 Lesson: 01

Applications of Arc Length and Sectors

Guided Practice:

1. Draw a diagram of a circle with a radius of 8 units and a sector formed by a central angle of
30o. Find the arc length and area of the sector. Round to the nearest tenth.

2. This is the first year Janis is playing softball. She has been practicing her batting. On her last
swing the bat made an arc with a radius of 48 inches and swept through 255° of rotation.
Assuming the arc is circular, what is the distance the tip of the bat travels to the nearest inch?
How many feet is this rounded to the nearest foot?

3. At Mickey’s Mechanic Shop a pulley system is used to lift engines from cars. The pulley
system consists of a cable that goes around a pulley with a radius 1 ft. To the nearest degree,
how many degrees of rotation are required for an engine to be lifted 10 feet?

Practice Problems

Use your knowledge of arc length and area of sectors to solve the following problems. Work problems
on your own paper. Show all work.

1. Use the given information to find the arc length and area of each labeled sector in the following
circles. Round to the nearest tenth.

a. b. c.
o
75 100
o
o
3 in 120 14 ft

42 mi

d. central angle 72o, radius 15 cm

e. central angle 60o, radius 25 yd

©2012, TESCCC 04/26/13 page 2 of 3

 Geometry
HS Mathematics
Unit: 08 Lesson: 01

Applications of Arc Length and Sectors

2. Ladders can be extremely dangerous if not used correctly. A 20 ft. extension ladder is placed
on a wall making an angle of elevation of 85° with the ground. If a person at the top of the
ladder leaned back, rotating the ladder away from the wall, how far to the nearest foot would
the person fall before he hit the ground?

3. The sprocket on the crankshaft of an engine powers the camshaft by a chain assembly. If the
engine crankshaft is turning 3250 revolutions per minute and the sprocket has a radius of 1.5
inches, to the nearest inch how many inches of chain travel past the sprocket in one minute?
To the nearest foot how many feet of chain travel past the sprocket in one minute?

4. Peter and his partner are conducting a physics experiment on pendulum motion. Their 30 cm
pendulum traverses an arc of 15 cm. To the nearest degree, how many degrees of rotation did
the pendulum swing?

5. Ashley has a sprinkler that has several varieties of coverage. The quarter-circle sprinkler head
sprays water a distance of up to 20 feet from the head. What area will be covered by the spray
of the quarter-circle sprinkler head to the nearest square foot?

6. On a basketball court, the free throw lane is marked off geometrically. This area of the court is
called the key and is topped by a semicircle that has a diameter of 12 feet. Find the arc length
of the semicircle to the nearest foot. Find the area of the semicircle to the nearest square foot.

7. Mom baked a Dutch apple pie in a 9-inch pie pan. She cut the pie into 6 equal pies so that
everyone gets the same sized piece.
a. Determine the central angle created by two pieces of pie.

b. Determine the area covered by each piece of pie to the nearest tenth of a square inch.

c. Determine the circumference of the original pie to the nearest tenth of an inch.

9
d. If a piece of pie had an arc length of  , determine the area of the piece of pie to the
8
nearest tenth of a square inch. What would be the central angle of this piece of pie?

©2012, TESCCC 04/26/13 page 3 of 3