A circle has a chord that goes from π6 to 5π6 radians on the circle. If the area of the circle is 18π, what is the length of the chord?

1 Answer
Apr 20, 2017

c=54

Explanation:

We can compute the radius from the area of the circle:

πr2=18π

r=18

To radii and the chord form a triangle. The angle between the two radii is:

θ=5π6π6=2π3

If we use the angle and the length of the two radii, we can use the Law of Cosines:

c2=a2+b22(a)(b)cos(θ)

where a=b=r=18andθ=2π3

c=(18)2+(18)22(18)(18)cos(2π3)

c=54