Arc Length Calculator
Enter a radius and central angle to get the arc length, sector area, chord, segment area and more. Or work backwards: find the angle from an arc length, sector area or chord, or the radius from an arc length or area. Works in degrees or radians, with a drawing of your sector.
How to use the Arc Length Calculator
- Choose what you know: radius and angle, arc length and radius, sector area, or chord.
- Enter the values and pick degrees or radians for the angle.
- Pick a length unit (optional) so the results are labelled.
- Read the result and the related measurements of the sector.
- Check the steps, the drawing and the table of common angles.
Arc and sector formulas
| Quantity | θ in radians | θ in degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Arc length | s = rθ | s = πrθ/180 |
| Sector area | A = ½r²θ = ½rs | A = πr²θ/360 |
| Chord | c = 2r sin(θ/2) | |
| Segment area | ½r²(θ − sin θ) | πr²θ/360 − ½r² sin θ |
| Arc height (sagitta) | h = r(1 − cos(θ/2)) | |
| Angle from arc | θ = s/r | θ = 180s/(πr) |
Arc length on a unit circle (r = 1)
| Angle | Radians | Arc length | Sector area | Chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30° | π/6 | 0.5236 | 0.2618 | 0.5176 |
| 45° | π/4 | 0.7854 | 0.3927 | 0.7654 |
| 60° | π/3 | 1.0472 | 0.5236 | 1 |
| 90° | π/2 | 1.5708 | 0.7854 | 1.4142 |
| 180° | π | 3.1416 | 1.5708 | 2 |
| 360° | 2π | 6.2832 | 3.1416 | 0 |
Multiply the arc length and chord by r, and the sector area by r², to scale to any circle.
Frequently asked questions
What is the arc length formula?
With the central angle θ in radians, arc length s = r × θ. With θ in degrees, s = 2πr × (θ ÷ 360) = πrθ ÷ 180. A 60° arc of a circle with radius 10 cm is 10 × π/3 ≈ 10.472 cm long.
How do I find the area of a sector?
Sector area A = ½ r² θ with θ in radians, or A = πr² × (θ ÷ 360) with θ in degrees. It is the arc's share of the full circle's area. For r = 10 and θ = 60°, A ≈ 52.36.
How do I find the central angle from the arc length?
Divide the arc length by the radius: θ = s ÷ r gives the angle in radians; multiply by 180/π for degrees. An arc of 15 on a circle of radius 10 subtends 1.5 rad ≈ 85.94°.
What is the difference between arc length and chord length?
The arc length is the distance along the curved edge of the circle; the chord is the straight line between the arc's endpoints, c = 2r sin(θ/2). The chord is always shorter than the arc unless the angle is 0.
Why use radians for arc length?
A radian is defined so that an arc equal to the radius subtends 1 radian. That makes the formulas simplest: s = rθ and A = ½r²θ, with no π/180 factors.
What is a circular segment?
A segment is the region between an arc and its chord. Its area is the sector area minus the triangle: r²/2 × (θ − sin θ), with θ in radians. The arc height (sagitta) is r(1 − cos(θ/2)).