Lesson 17 Activity 1: Measuring Circumference


You may remember from L9 — A1 that circumference is the distance (or perimeter) around a circle.





The perimeter around a circle is called the circumference.






The circumference of a circle is calculated by using special formulas.



  Remember:

π (pi) is a symbol from the Greek alphabet pronounced "pie" and has a value of 3.14.

d is the diameter, which is the distance through the middle of a circle from one side to the other.

r is the radius, which is the distance from the centre of a circle to anywhere on the outside edge.




To find the circumference of a circle, use the following formula:

C = πd

Circumference = π x diameter


Pi has a constant value that is approximately 3.14. 





So what about the other formula?

Will it give us the same answer?

Let's look again at the example above. The diameter of the circle was 100 m. To find the radius, you take HALF of the diameter (half of 100 m is 50 m).

So in the example above, the formula would be:

C = 2 x 3.14 x 50 = 314 m

The answers are the same!



Let's take a look at two more examples of how to use each of the formulas!

 


Digging Deeper!

Click on the Play button below to watch a video on how to find the circumference of a circle.



Click here to download some more practice questions (with answers!)

Images courtesy of www.imagesgoogle.com