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8.3 Arcs, Central Angles, and Chords

A central angle of a circle is an angle with its vertex at the center of the circle. The figure below illustrates central angle AOB in O.
A

An arc is an unbroken part of the circle. The two points A and B on circle O above are the endpoints of two arcs. A and B and the points of O in the interior of AOB form a minor arc. See the illustration below.
Minor Arc A

Note that a minor arc is named by its endpoints: AB is read "arc AB."

AB

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A and B and the points of O not in the interior of AOB form a major arc. The major arc with endpoints A and B is illustrated in red below.
Major Arc A

B C

Note that we use three letters to name a major arc: ACB is read "arc ACB." If A and B are the endpoints of a diameter, then the two arcs formed are called semicircles.

ACB

Semicircle

diameter O

ACB

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Note that we name semicircles the same way we do major arcs; with three letters. This is to avoid any confusion as to which of the two semicircles we mean. The semicircle illustrated in red above (the one "on top.") is denoted ACB so that we know the arc has endpoints A and B and passes through point C.

The measure of a minor arc is defined to be the measure of its central angle. We make a distinction here between the term 'measure' and the term 'length'. We will deal with the length of an arc in another section. In the diagram below, mAB denotes the measure of minor arc AB.

A 30 B 30 O

Minor Arc mAB =m AOB =30

In the next diagram we see that the measure of a major arc is 360 minus the measure of its

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associated minor arc.

A 30 B

Major Arc mACB=360-mAB =360-30=330

The next diagram shows that the measure of a semicircle is 180.

C

Semicircle mACB = 180

Adjacent arcs of a circle are arcs that have exactly one point in common. An example of adja cent arcs can be found in the diagram above. AC and CBare adjacent arcs since they share only the point C. We have a postulate for arcs which is analogous to the Segment Addition Postulate. It is stated below.

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Arc Addition Postulate: The measure of the arc formed by two adjacent arcs is the sum of the measures of the two arcs.

Not very earth moving is it? Common sense would tell us the same thing. However, in mathematics we can never assume anything unless it is first stated. Look at the circle shown below.
135 A

90 C

Applying the Arc Addition Postulate, we have mAB + mBC = mABC 135 + 90 = 225 Congruent arcs are arcs, in the same circle or in congruent circles, that have equal measures. This can be tricky at first. Some students find it hard to accept that arcs can have the same measure and not be congruent. This is the case when you have equal arcs in two circles of different sizes. That's why the definition states in the same circle or in congruent circles. The three circles below illustrate these points.

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C 45 P 5

B 45 A

m DC @ m BA

E 45 F

m DC @ m BA= m EF Since the two circles are congruent (the radii are the same) and the measures of the arcs are the same, we can say that the arcs are congruent. However, the figure below shows that even though the arcs in the two circles above have the same measure as the arc in the circle below it is very obvious that the arcs are not congruent.

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45 S

3 O

The theorem below formally states the relationship between the congruence of minor arcs and the congruence of their central angles. The theorem follows immediately from the definition of congruent arcs.

Theorem: In the same circle or in congruent circles, two minor arcs are congruent if and only if their central angles are congruent.

Now that we have seen the relationship between arcs and central angles we are ready to look at the relationship between arcs and chords. Recall that a chord is a segment whose endpoints are on the circle. In the diagram below, AB cuts off two arcs, AB and ATB. We call AB, the minor arc, the arc of chord AB.
A T

O B

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There are several theorems stating the relationships between arcs and chords and they are listed below; some with proof, others without.

Theorem: In the same circle or congruent circles: (1) Congruent arcs have congruent chords (2) Congruent chords have congruent arcs.

There are actually four parts to this proof but we will show a paragraph proof of part (1) for one circle. From this example you will see how to prove the other three parts.
C A

Given: O; AB @ CD Prove: AB @ CD Proof: Draw in the radii OA, OC, OD, and OB as shown in the figure below. OA @ OC and OB @ OD because they are all radii of the same circle. Since we are given that AB @ CD, central angles 1 and 2 are congruent. Then DAOB @ DCOD by SAS and corresponding parts AB @ CD are congruent.

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2 O D

Theorem: A diameter that is perpendicular to a chord bisects the chord and its arc.

A D

Given: O; CD AB Prove: AX @ BX; AD @ BD

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Plan for proof: Draw auxiliary line segments OA and OB as shown in the figure below.
C

O 1 2

A D

Now use the HL Theorem to prove that DOXA @ DOXB (OA @ OBbecause they are radii of the same circle and OX is congruent to itself). Then you can use corresponding parts of congru ent triangles to show that AX @ BX and 1 @ 2. Finally, you can state that AD @ BD since they have congruent central angles. Let's look at one final theorem about the relationships between arcs and chords. It is stated without proof below.

Theorem: In the same circle or in congruent circles: (1) Chords equally distant from the center (or centers) are congruent. (2) Congruent chords are equally distant from the center (or centers).

Recall that the distance from a point to a line is the length of the perpendicular segment from the point to the line. This definition will help us in the example below.

Example1: Find the length of a chord that is a distance 3 from the center of a circle with radius 5.

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Solution: Look at the figure below. The perpendicular segment, OC, from O to AB is drawn along with radii connecting O to A and B. AC has been labeled "x."

O 5 3 C 5

Since DOCA is a right triangle we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the value of x. x2 + 32 = 52 x2 + 9 = 25 x2 = 16 x2 = 4 And since, by the previous theorem, OC bisects AB we have AB = 2 AC = 2x = 8 It should be clear to you that all chords in O above that are a distance 3 from the center O will have length 8. Thus, all such chords are congruent as stated in the last theorem. That wraps up our discussion on arcs, central angles, and chords. We are ready to discuss other types of angles associated with circles.