What is a chord of a circle?
Answer
A chord of a circle is a line segment whose two endpoints both lie on the circle.
The working
Definition
A chord joins any two points on the circle. It lies entirely within the circle except for its endpoints on the boundary.
Longest chord
The diameter is the longest chord of a circle because it passes through the centre and equals twice the radius.
Perpendicular from centre
The perpendicular drawn from the centre to a chord bisects the chord, that is, it divides the chord into two equal halves.
Equal chords
Equal chords of a circle are equidistant from the centre, and chords equidistant from the centre are equal in length.
Example
In a circle, a segment joining two points on the boundary that does not pass through the centre is a chord shorter than the diameter.
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