sector
In geometry, part of a circle enclosed by two radii and the arc that joins them. A minor sector has an angle at the centre of the circle of less than 180°. A major sector has an angle at the centre of the circle of more than 180°.
The area of a sector is found by dividing the angle at the centre by 360 and multiplying by πr2, where r is the radius of the circle.
| For example, to create a circular tablecloth with a radius of 120 cm and 16 segments of alternate black and white cloth, the area of each sector can be calculated: |
| For each sector, the angle at the centre = 360/16 = 22.5°. |
| The area of each sector = 22.5/360 × πr2, so |
| area of each sector = 22.5/360 × π × 1202 = 2,827 cm2 (to 4 significant figures) |
sector
| In computing, part of the magnetic structure created on a disk surface during disk formatting so that data can be stored on it. The disk is first divided into circular tracks and then each circular track is divided into a number of sectors. |
