Radians, arcs and sectors

A radian is another measure of turn. It is useful as it measures the angle in terms

of the arc length. Relating these two measurements can be more useful for
scientists.
The term radian comes from the word radius referring to the fixed distance of
any point on the circumference of a circle to its centre. Hence 1 radian is
defined as the angle that subtends an arc length equal to the radius.

r
r
An arc length of 1 subtends an angle of 1
radians, so the circumference of length
2 subtends an angle of 2 radians.
Therefore 360 = 2 radians
To convert degrees to radians, multiply by

180

To convert degrees to radians, multiply by
180

We know that 360 = 2 radians (or 2)

So when converting some angles we can write them as a fraction or multiple of

360 = 2 radians
180 = radians
90 =

2
radians

60 =
2
6
=

3
radians



Try to keep to exact values where possible. If not then round to 3 significant figures.
Arc length =

2
2
=
Area of sector =

2

2

=

2
2

Any central angle in a circle is a fraction of 2,so you can calculate the length of the
arc the angle subtends as a fraction of the circumference.
Similarly the formula for the area of a circle is: Area =
2
. The area of a sector with a
central angle will be a fraction of the area of the circle
Remember when using these formulae the angles need to be given in radians.
An arc AB subtends an angle of 2.4 radians at the
centre O of a circle with radius 50cm. Find the
area and perimeter of sector AOB.
EXAMPLE
EXAM STYLE QUESTION
In the circle with centre P, the arc QR subtends
an angle of at the centre. If the length of arc
QR is 27.2cm and the area of sector PQR is
217.6cm, find and the radius of the circle.
EXAM STYLE QUESTION
Circle O has radius 4cm, and circle P has radius 6cm. The centres
of the circles are 8cm apart. If the circles intersect at A and B,
find the blue shaded area in the diagram
A
B
O
P