Lesson plan

Central angle

In geometry, a central angle is an angle whose apex (vertex) is the center of a circle and whose legs (sides) are radii intersecting the circle in two distinct points and . Central angles are subtended by an arc between those two points, and the arc length is the central angle of a circle of radius one (measured in radians). The central angle is also known as the arc's angular distance. The arc length spanned by a central angle on a sphere is called spherical distance. The size of a central angle is or (radians). When defining or drawing a central angle, in addition to specifying the points and , one must specify whether the angle being defined is the convex angle (<180°) or the reflex angle (>180°). Equivalently, one must specify whether the movement from point to point is clockwise or counterclockwise.

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Article summary

In geometry, a central angle is an angle whose apex (vertex) is the center of a circle and whose legs (sides) are radii intersecting the circle in two distinct points and . Central angles are subtended by an arc between those two points, and the arc length is the central angle of a circle of radius one (measured in radians). The central angle is also known as the arc's angular distance. The arc length spanned by a central angle on a sphere is called spherical distance. The size of a central angle is or (radians). When defining or drawing a central angle, in addition to specifying the points and , one must specify whether the angle being defined is the convex angle (<180°) or the reflex angle (>180°). Equivalently, one must specify whether the movement from point to point is clockwise or counterclockwise.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.