Major Arc
In geometry, a major arc refers to a section of a circle that spans more than half of the circumference
In geometry, a major arc refers to a section of a circle that spans more than half of the circumference. It is larger than a minor arc, which spans less than half of the circumference.
To better understand major arcs, let’s consider a circle. The circumference of a circle is the complete distance around its outer edge, and it is divided into 360 degrees. A major arc is formed when we draw a line connecting two points on the circle that passes through its center and covers an angle greater than 180 degrees.
For example, if we have a circle with points A, B, and C on its circumference, and we draw an arc connecting points A and C, passing through the center of the circle, and covering an angle of more than 180 degrees, then that arc would be considered a major arc.
Major arcs are named using three points: the starting point, the ending point, and any additional point on the arc. For instance, if we have points A, B, C, and D on a circle and the arc connecting points A and D, passing through the center, covers an angle greater than 180 degrees, we could name it “arc ABCD” or “arc ADC” or “arc CAB,” and so on.
It’s important to note that the degree measure of a major arc is equal to the measure of the central angle it subtends. So, in the previous example, if the arc ABCD covers 220 degrees, then the central angle subtended by that arc is also 220 degrees.
Understanding major arcs can be helpful in various geometrical calculations, such as finding the length of an arc, determining the sector area, or studying the properties of angles and arcs within a circle.
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