ARC LENGTH AND AREA OF A SECTOR

Arc Length – In a circle of radius r, the length s of an intercepted by a central angle with
measure θ radians is given by S=rθ.

1) Find the length of an arc of a circle with radius 10m that subtends a central angle of
30 ° .
Given:
r =10 m
θ=30°
π π
θ=30° x =
180 ° 6

S=rθ
S=10 ( π6 )
10 π 5 π
S= ∨
6 3

2) A central angle θ in a circle of radius 4 m is subtended by an arc of length of 6m. Find

the measure of θ in radians.
Given:
r =4 m
S=6 m

S=rθ
6 m 4 mθ
=
4m 4 m
3
rad =θ
2

Area of a sector- In a circle of radius r, the area A of a sector with a central angle measuring
1 2
θ radians is A= r θ .
2

1) Find the area of a sector of a circle with central angle 60 ° if the radius of the circle is
3m.
 r =3 m
θ=6 0 °
π π
θ=6 0 ° x =
180 ° 3

1 2
A= r θ
2
1 2 π
A= (3 m)
2 3
1 2 π
A= ( 9 m )
2 3
9π 2
A= m
6
3π 2
A= m
2
2
A=4.7124 m

2) A sprinkler on a golf course fairway is set to spray water over 70 feet and rotates
through an angle of 120 °. Find the area of the fairway watered by the sprinkler.

r =70 ft
θ=120 °
π 2π
θ=120 ° x =
180° 3

1 2
A= r θ
2
1 2 2π
A= (70 ft )
2 3
1 2 2π
A= ( 4 900 ft )
2 3
4 9 00 π 2
A= ft
3
2
A=5131.28 ft