The wrong way of finding the average distance between two points on a circle

algebra-precalculusanalytic geometrycalculuscirclesgeometry

I was trying to find the average distance between two points on a circle and got the following result. Check this image

Why is my method wrong?

Best Answer

Your method is wrong because the distribution of possible $x$ and $y$-values isn't uniform ($x$-values close to $\pm r$ are more common than values close to $0$, and $y$-values close to $0$ and $2r$ are more common than values close to $r$). I would personally suggest you use trigonometry and the angle $\angle P_1OP_2$ instead, as that angle is indeed uniformly distributed.