Math Problem Statement

A 6 cm long chord subtends an angle of 60° at the center of the circle. If the length of another chord of the same circle is 6/3 cm, then find the measure of the angle subtended by the chord at the center of the circle.

Solution

To find the angle subtended at the center of the circle by the chord of length 63cm=2cm\frac{6}{3} \, \text{cm} = 2 \, \text{cm}, we can use the relationship between the length of a chord, the radius of the circle, and the angle subtended at the center.

Step 1: Find the Radius of the Circle

Given that a chord of length 6cm6 \, \text{cm} subtends an angle of 6060^\circ:

  1. The formula for the length of a chord cc in terms of the radius rr and the angle θ\theta in radians is:

    c=2rsin(θ2)c = 2r \sin\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right)

  2. Convert 6060^\circ to radians:

    60=π3radians60^\circ = \frac{\pi}{3} \, \text{radians}

  3. Substitute the values into the formula:

    6=2rsin(π6)6 = 2r \sin\left(\frac{\pi}{6}\right)

    Knowing that sin(π6)=12\sin\left(\frac{\pi}{6}\right) = \frac{1}{2}:

    6=2r12    6=r6 = 2r \cdot \frac{1}{2} \implies 6 = r

So, the radius rr of the circle is 6cm6 \, \text{cm}.

Step 2: Find the Angle for the 2 cm Chord

Now, we will find the angle θ\theta' subtended by the chord of length 2cm2 \, \text{cm}:

  1. Use the chord length formula again:

    2=2rsin(θ2)2 = 2r \sin\left(\frac{\theta'}{2}\right)

  2. Substitute r=6r = 6:

    2=26sin(θ2)    2=12sin(θ2)2 = 2 \cdot 6 \sin\left(\frac{\theta'}{2}\right) \implies 2 = 12 \sin\left(\frac{\theta'}{2}\right)

  3. Solve for sin(θ2)\sin\left(\frac{\theta'}{2}\right):

    sin(θ2)=212=16\sin\left(\frac{\theta'}{2}\right) = \frac{2}{12} = \frac{1}{6}

  4. Find θ2\frac{\theta'}{2}:

    θ2=arcsin(16)\frac{\theta'}{2} = \arcsin\left(\frac{1}{6}\right)

  5. Therefore, θ\theta':

    θ=2arcsin(16)\theta' = 2 \arcsin\left(\frac{1}{6}\right)

Step 3: Calculate the Angle

Using a calculator:

θ20.1670.334radians\theta' \approx 2 \cdot 0.167 \approx 0.334 \, \text{radians}

To convert this back to degrees:

θ0.334180π19.2\theta' \approx 0.334 \cdot \frac{180}{\pi} \approx 19.2^\circ

Conclusion

The angle subtended by the chord of length 2cm2 \, \text{cm} at the center of the circle is approximately 19.219.2^\circ.

Would you like more details or do you have any questions? Here are some related questions you might consider:

  1. How would the angle change if the chord length was increased to 4 cm?
  2. What happens to the angle if the radius of the circle is doubled?
  3. Can you derive the chord length for an angle of 4545^\circ?
  4. How do you calculate the area of the sector formed by a chord?
  5. What is the relationship between the radius and chord lengths for different angles?

Tip: Always convert angles to radians when using trigonometric functions for consistency.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Geometry
Trigonometry
Circle Properties

Formulas

c = 2r sin(θ/2)

Theorems

Chord length theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-11