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Technical English – Circle Terminology

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Today we’ll learn some math language. Let’s have a look at a circle. You probably remember from school that a circle has a center, a radius, a diameter. Maybe you also know what a chord is or how to draw a tangent. Anyway, if you want to recap on circle terminology, here it is.

This article comes from issue 1 (1/2022) of Your American English Magazine. You’ll find much more interesting stuff there, I’m sure.

circle

But what is a circle in the first place? A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the center. Here’s some circle terminology.

circle

center – the point equidistant from all points on the circle

circumference /sɚˈkʌmfrəns/ – the distance around the circle.

radius /ˈreɪdijəs/ (plural: radii /ˈreɪdiˌaɪ/) – a line segment joining the center of a circle with any single point on the circle

chord /ˈkoɚd/ – a line segment whose endpoints lie on the circle, thus dividing a circle into two segments.

diameter /daɪˈæmətɚ/ –  the longest chord whose endpoints lie on the circle and that passes through the center

arc – any connected part of a circle

semicircle /ˈsɛmiˌsɚkəl/ – one of the two possible arcs between the endpoints of a diameter

sector – a region bounded by two radii and one of the arcs between their endpoints

segment – a region bounded by a chord and one of the arcs connecting the its endpoints

tangent /ˈtænʤənt/ – a line that touches the circle at only one point

I think this is all you have to know about a circle.


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