If the circumference of a circle is 100 units, then what will be the length of the arc described by an angle of 20 degrees?
Aptitude
Area
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
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A5.55 units
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B4.86 units
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C5.85 units
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DNone of these
Answer
Correct Answer: 5.55 units
Explanation
### Concept & Proportionality
The arc length corresponding to a specific central angle is simply that fraction of the total circumference.
$$Arc\ Length = \frac{\theta}{360^\circ} \times Circumference$$
### Step-by-Step Solution
* Given total circumference, $C = 100$ units.
* Given angle, $\theta = 20^\circ$.
* Apply the proportional relationship:
$Arc\ Length = \frac{20}{360} \times 100$
* Simplify the fraction:
$\frac{20}{360} = \frac{1}{18}$
* Calculate the final value:
$Arc\ Length = \frac{100}{18} = \frac{50}{9}$
* Convert to decimal:
$\frac{50}{9} = 5.555...$ units.
### Exam Strategy & Shortcut
Recognize that $20^\circ$ is exactly $\frac{1}{18}$ of a full $360^\circ$ circle. So you just need to divide the total circumference by $18$. Since $100/20$ would be $5$, $100/18$ must be slightly higher than $5$. The repeating decimal $\frac{50}{9} = 5.55...$ makes option (a) the obvious choice.
### Common Pitfall
A common mistake is unnecessarily trying to calculate the radius first using $100 = 2\pi r$, and then plugging it back into the arc length formula. This wastes time and introduces rounding errors with $\pi$.
### Final Answer
Therefore, the correct answer is **5.55 units**.