Chapter 3: Problem 47
Area of a Sector A central angle of 2 radians cuts off an arc of length 4 inches. Find the area of the sector formed.
Short Answer
Expert verified
The area of the sector is 4 square inches.
Step by step solution
01
Formula for Area of a Sector
The area of a sector can be found using the formula: \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times r \times l \] where \( A \) is the area, \( r \) is the radius, and \( l \) is the arc length.
02
Arc Length with Radius
We know the arc length \( l = 4 \) inches and the angle is \( \theta = 2 \) radians. From the arc length formula, \( l = r \theta \), we can find the radius: \( r = \frac{l}{\theta} = \frac{4}{2} = 2 \) inches.
03
Substitute Known Values into Area Formula
Now that we know \( r = 2 \) inches and \( l = 4 \) inches, substitute these values into the area formula: \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times 4 \]
04
Calculate the Area
Simplify the expression to find the area: \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times 4 = 4 \] The area of the sector is 4 square inches.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Area of a Sector
The area of a sector is a segment of a circle's area. Visualize cutting a slice of pizza, where each slice represents a sector. To find the area of this slice, or sector, we use the formula: \ \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times r \times l \] Here, \( A \) stands for the area of the sector, \( r \) is the radius of the circle from the center to the edge of the sector, and \( l \) is the length of the arc.
- This formula helps when you know the arc length but need to find the corresponding area.
- The fraction \( \frac{1}{2} \) arises because the circle's area calculation involves \( \pi r^2 \), and sectors are only a fraction of the whole circle.
Radians
Radians are a unit of angular measure used in trigonometry. Unlike degrees, which separate a circle into 360 parts, radians use \( 2\pi \) to represent a full circle.One radian is the angle made when you wrap the radius around the circle's edge. In simpler terms:
- A full circle is \( 2\pi \) radians
- A half circle is \( \pi \) radians
- Quarter of a circle is \( \frac{\pi}{2} \) radians
Arc Length
The arc length is the curved distance along the circle's edge that connects two points. It can be thought of as a rope wrapped along part of a circle's circumference. If you unravel it, the rope would measure the length of the arc.To find the arc length, use the formula: \ \[ l = r \theta \] where \( l \) is the arc length, \( r \) is the circle’s radius, and \( \theta \) is the angle in radians.
- This formula reveals how arc length is directly proportional to the angle size when the radius remains constant.
- For example, doubling \( \theta \) doubles the arc length.
Formula for Area
Finding the area of a sector employs the formula \( A = \frac{1}{2} \times r \times l \). This results from combining a few geometric principles: understanding the full circle's area and scaling this concept down to parts of the circle - which sectors are.The way it works:
- The standard area of a circle is \( \pi r^2 \).
- The formula for a sector modifies this by accounting for the fraction of the circle represented by the arc.
- Therefore, \( A = \frac{1}{2} \times r \times l \) simplifies our calculations.