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Detailed notes on Mensuration for Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics, covering key concepts, explanations, examples, and exam-focused revision points.
Circumference, area, arc length, sector area and segment area. The fraction 360θ is the master tool — apply it to whichever full-circle quantity you want.
Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0580 syllabus (2025-2027).
C=2πr, A=πr2. Identify radius vs diameter first.
Formulae. C=2πr=πd,A=πr2.
The radius r is half the diameter d. Always check which the question gives you.
Worked. Circle radius 7cm. Find C and A to 3 s.f.
Worked (diameter given). Diameter 20cm → radius 10cm.
Calculator π button. Use the calculator's π key — don't type 3.14 unless the question says to.
Multiply the full-circle quantity by 360θ to scale to a sector of angle θ.
A sector is the pie-slice region of a circle bounded by two radii and an arc. The angle at the centre is θ (in degrees).
Arc length. L=360θ×2πr.
Sector area. Asector=360θ×πr2.
The pattern: 360θ is the FRACTION of a full revolution, so it scales any full-circle quantity to its sector value.
Worked. Sector with radius 9cm and angle 80°.
Perimeter of a sector. Two radii plus the arc: Psector=2r+L.
A common Cambridge trip-up: students forget the two radii.
Segment area = sector area − triangle area. Use 21r2sinθ for the triangle.
A segment is the region between a chord and the arc it cuts off — a sector with the central triangle sliced away.
Formula. Asegment=Asector−A△=360θπr2−21r2sinθ.
The triangle formed by the two radii and the chord has area 21r2sinθ (see Trigonometry — area rule).
Worked. Segment in a circle radius 10cm, central angle 60°.
Major vs minor segment. The chord splits the circle into a minor (small) and major (large) segment. The formula above gives the minor segment for θ<180°.
Keep π exact through the calculation. Round only at the end (3 s.f. unless told otherwise).
Exact vs decimal answers.
Common error. Rounding π to 3.14 early in a multi-step calculation. This compounds errors and can lose marks.
Units.
| Quantity | Formula |
|---|---|
| Circumference | C=2πr=πd |
| Area | A=πr2 |
| Arc length | 360θ×2πr |
| Sector area | 360θ×πr2 |
| Sector perimeter | 2r+arc |
| Segment area | sector −21r2sinθ |
Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.
Circle, arc and sector questions appear every Paper 4 (3-6 marks each), often combined with composite-shape questions. Examiner reports flag forgetting the two radii in sector perimeter as a frequent error. Exact-π answers are increasingly preferred — read the question.
Sources: Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580 syllabus 2025-2027 (E6.3-6.4); 0580/42 Oct/Nov 2024 — Q11 (sector + segment); 0580 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-05-05.
Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on circles, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.
Almost every circles exam question is one of these shapes. Learn to spot each one and you will always know how to start.
Recognise it by
A single instruction — find the circumference / area / arc length / sector area — for one circle or sector, using one formula.
How to approach it
Pick the formula and substitute: C=2πr, A=πr2, and scale by 360θ for an arc or sector. Halve the diameter to a radius first if a diameter is given.
Common trap
Squaring the diameter instead of the radius, or mixing the length and area formulae. Examiner reports also flag a calculator left in radian mode — 0580 always uses degrees.
Recognise it by
Several pieces combined — a segment (sector minus triangle), a sector perimeter (arc plus two radii), or a compound shape stitched from a rectangle and an arc.
How to approach it
Break the figure into standard parts, compute each (sector, triangle with 21absinC, arc, straight edges), then add or subtract as the shape requires.
Common trap
Giving only the arc and omitting the two radii for a sector perimeter, or including an interior edge that the arc replaces. Examiner reports flag both.
Recognise it by
A real-world object — a circular table, a running track — described in words, with no formula stated.
How to approach it
Translate the object into circles, sectors and rectangles, identify the radius (halving any diameter), then apply the circle formulae to each part.
Common trap
Using the diameter in πr2, or counting edges that are not part of the outer boundary. Examiner reports flag these in composite practical questions.
Question
Find the circumference and area of a circle of radius 5 cm. Give answers to 1 d.p.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
C=2πr.
C=2π(5)=10π≈31.4cm
Step 2
A=πr2.
A=π(25)=25π≈78.5cm2
Answer
C≈31.4cm, A≈78.5cm2
Question
Find the length of an arc of a circle, radius 9 cm, that subtends an angle of 80° at the centre.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Arc length =360θ×2πr.
L=36080×2π(9)=92×18π=4π
Answer
4πcm≈12.6cm
Question
Find the area of a sector of a circle, radius 6 cm, with sector angle 120°.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Sector area =360θ×πr2.
A=360120×π(36)=12π
Answer
12πcm2≈37.7cm2
Question
A chord subtends an angle of 90° at the centre of a circle of radius 4 cm. Find the area of the minor segment.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Segment area = sector area − triangle area.
A=36090π(16)−21(4)(4)sin90°
Step 2
Compute.
A=4π−8≈4.57cm2
Answer
4π−8≈4.57cm2
Question
A circular table has diameter 1.4 m. Find the area of its top in m2, correct to 2 decimal places.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Halve the diameter to get the radius.
r=21.4=0.7m
Step 2
Apply A=πr2.
A=π(0.7)2=0.49π≈1.54m2
Answer
A≈1.54m2
Examiner tip
The examiner report flags candidates who square the diameter instead of the radius. Always halve the diameter first.
Question
A sector has radius 10 cm and sector angle 72°. Find the perimeter of the sector.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Perimeter = arc + two radii.
Step 2
Arc length first.
L=36072×2π(10)=51×20π=4π
Step 3
Add the two radii.
P=4π+2(10)=4π+20≈32.6cm
Answer
P=4π+20≈32.6cm
Examiner tip
The examiner report flags candidates who give only the arc length and forget the two radii. Sector PERIMETER always = arc length + 2r.
Question
An annulus is formed by two concentric circles of radii 5 cm and 8 cm. Find the area of the annulus in terms of π.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Outer area minus inner area.
A=π(8)2−π(5)2=64π−25π
Step 2
Subtract.
A=39πcm2
Answer
39πcm2≈122.5cm2
Question
A shape consists of a rectangle 6 cm by 4 cm with a semicircle of diameter 4 cm added to one of the short sides (so the rectangle is closed off and the semicircle bulges outward). Find the perimeter of the resulting shape.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Identify the boundary: three sides of the rectangle (two long sides + one short side) plus the curved semicircle.
Step 2
Length of the three rectangle sides.
6+4+6=16cm
Step 3
Semicircle of diameter 4 has arc length 21×π×4=2π cm.
Step 4
Total perimeter.
P=16+2π≈22.3cm
Answer
P=16+2π≈22.3cm
Examiner tip
The examiner report flags candidates who include the straight edge that the semicircle replaces — that edge is INTERIOR after the semicircle is attached, so it does not contribute to the perimeter.
Question
A chord subtends an angle of 140° at the centre of a circle of radius 9 cm. Find the area of the minor segment, giving your answer to 3 significant figures.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Sector area.
Asector=360140×π(9)2=187×81π=263π
Step 2
Triangle area uses 21absinC with a=b=9 and C=140°.
Atriangle=21(9)(9)sin140°=281sin140°
Step 3
Segment = sector − triangle.
A=263π−281sin140°≈98.96−26.03≈72.9cm2
Answer
A≈72.9cm2
Examiner tip
The examiner report flags candidates who use 21×base×height for the triangle when no perpendicular height is given. Use 21absinC with the two radii as a and b.
Question
A running track is shaped like a rectangle with two semicircular ends. The straight sides are each 80 m long and the radius of each semicircle is 30 m. (a) Find the total perimeter. (b) Find the total enclosed area. Give answers to 1 d.p.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Perimeter = two straights + the two semicircles, which together form a full circle of radius 30 m.
P=2(80)+2π(30)=160+60π
Step 2
Evaluate.
P≈160+188.50≈348.5m
Step 3
Area = rectangle (80×60) + full circle of radius 30.
A=80×60+π(30)2=4800+900π
Step 4
Evaluate.
A≈4800+2827.43≈7627.4m2
Answer
(a) P≈348.5m (b) A≈7627.4m2
Examiner tip
The examiner report flags candidates who use the diameter (60 m) instead of the radius (30 m) in πr2, or who include the rectangle's short ends in the perimeter — those edges are replaced by the semicircles.
The formulae you need to memorise for circles on the Cambridge IGCSE 0580 paper, with every variable defined in plain English and a note on when to use it.
C=2πr=πd
When to use
Distance around any circle.
A=πr2
When to use
Area enclosed by any circle.
L=360θ×2πr
When to use
Length of a portion of the circumference.
A=360θ×πr2
When to use
Area of a 'pie-slice' of a circle.
Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for circles answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0580 sitting.
Distance from the centre to the edge of the circle.
Distance across a circle through its centre =2r.
A portion of the circumference. Minor arc = shorter; major arc = longer.
A 'pie slice' bounded by two radii and an arc.
Region bounded by a chord and an arc.
The traps other students keep falling into on circles questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0580 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.
Why it happens
Reading the question too quickly.
How to avoid it
Note: C=πd=2πr. If the diagram gives diameter, halve it before using A=πr2.
0580/42 — recurring
Why it happens
Calculator left in radian mode.
How to avoid it
0580 always uses degrees. Set the calculator to DEG mode at the start of the paper.
Why it happens
Mixing up the two regions.
How to avoid it
Sector = two RADII + arc. Segment = one CHORD + arc.
Why it happens
Mixing up area and length formulae.
How to avoid it
Length comes from circumference 2πr. Area comes from πr2.
The things students keep getting wrong in this sub-topic, answered.