Which statement best defines a sector of a circle?

Which statement best defines a sector of a circle?

• A. The portion of the circle bounded by two radii and the intercepted arc
• B. The length of an arc
• C. The entire area of the circle
• D. The radius of the circle

Answer: (A)

A sector is the part of a circle bounded by two radii and the arc between them. Think of it as a slice of pizza: the two straight edges are radii, and the curved edge is the intercepted arc that connects those endpoints. This description directly captures the region formed when you connect the circle’s center to two points on the circumference and take the arc between those points. The other options describe different things: the length of an arc is just a boundary measure, not a region; the entire area is the whole circle; and the radius is a single boundary line, not a sector. For context, the size of a sector is determined by the central angle, and its area can be computed as A = (theta/360) pi r^2 (degrees) or A = (1/2) r^2 theta (radians).

A sector is the part of a circle bounded by two radii and the arc between them. Think of it as a slice of pizza: the two straight edges are radii, and the curved edge is the intercepted arc that connects those endpoints. This description directly captures the region formed when you connect the circle’s center to two points on the circumference and take the arc between those points. The other options describe different things: the length of an arc is just a boundary measure, not a region; the entire area is the whole circle; and the radius is a single boundary line, not a sector. For context, the size of a sector is determined by the central angle, and its area can be computed as A = (theta/360) pi r^2 (degrees) or A = (1/2) r^2 theta (radians).