Find the arc length between any two points (real numbers) on the circumference of a circle with center at the origin

arc lengthcirclesgeometrygraphing-functions

Suppose I'm given two points: (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) (which are real numbers) lying on the circumference of a circle with radius r and centred at the origin, how do I find the arc length between those two points (the arc with shorter length)?

Best Answer

We have the following situation:

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Points $A$ and $B$ are given by their coordinates. So you can calculate their distance. Now, we have an isosceles triangle with given side lengths. We can calculate $\alpha$.

Given $\alpha$ and $r$, the arclength can be calculated.