Perpendicular to the chord from the center of the circle

🏆Practice the parts of a circle

The perpendicular to the chord comes out of the center of the circle, intersecting the chord, the central angle in front of the chord and the arc in front of the chord.
Moreover, if there is a section that comes out from the center of the circle and crosses the chord, it will also be perpendicular to the chord.

We are here to present the properties of the perpendicular from the center of the circle to the chord.
First, we will remember that the perpendicular is a line that forms a 90° 90° degree angle.
Let's see it in the illustration:

In front of us, there is a circle.
We will mark the center of the circle with a letter AA
Our chord will be blue and will be called BCBC.
The vertical, which comes out from the center of the circle and will be perpendicular to the chord BCBC.
We will mark it in red and call it ADAD.

Start practice

Test yourself on the parts of a circle!

einstein

Where must a point be located so that it is furthest from the center of the circle?

Practice more now

Great! Now that we understand exactly what perpendicular from the center of the circle is, we'll move on to its characteristics.
You can use these characteristics without proving them.


Characteristics of the Perpendicular to the Chord from the Center of the Circle

The perpendicular from the chord, which comes out from the center of the circle:


Join Over 30,000 Students Excelling in Math!
Endless Practice, Expert Guidance - Elevate Your Math Skills Today
Test your knowledge

1) Bisects the Chord

Let's see this in the illustration:

The perpendicular ADAD cuts the chord BDBD in half
So that:
BD=DCBD=DC


2) Bisects the angle in front of the chord

Let's see this in the illustration:

The perpendicular ADAD bisects the central angle
CAB∡CAB
So that:
A1=A2∢A1=∢A2


Do you know what the answer is?

3) Bisects the arc that is in front of the chord

Let's see this in the illustration:

The perpendicular ADAD crosses the arc in front of the chord.
So that:

BE=ECBE=EC


Please note:
Similarly, these characteristics also work in reverse, and we can say that if there is a straight line that comes out from the center of the circle and crosses the chord, then it is perpendicular to the chord.


In conclusion, a perpendicular line, coming from the center of the circle, crosses the chord, the relevant central angle, and the arc opposite the chord.
We will see all the features in an illustration:

If ADAD is perpendicular to BCBC
Then
A1=A2∢A1=∢A2
BD=DCBD=DC
BE=ECBE=EC


If you are interested in this article, you might also be interested in the following articles:

  • The center of the circle
  • Circle
  • Radius
  • Diameter
  • Pi
  • The circumference perimeter
  • Circular area
  • Arcs in a circle
  • Chords in a circle
  • Central angle in a circle
  • Inscribed angle in a circle
  • Distance from the chord to the center of the circle

In the Tutorela blog, you will find a variety of articles on mathematics.


Check your understanding
Start practice