A circle is divided into four sectors such that the proportions of the

A circle is divided into four sectors such that the proportions of their areas are 1 : 2 : 3 : 4. What is the angle of the largest sector ?

120°
125°
136°
144°
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2020
The area of a sector of a circle is proportional to the angle subtended by the sector at the center. For sectors within the same circle, the ratio of their areas is equal to the ratio of their central angles.

Let the areas of the four sectors be $A_1, A_2, A_3, A_4$, and their corresponding central angles be $\theta_1, \theta_2, \theta_3, \theta_4$.
The proportions of the areas are given as $A_1 : A_2 : A_3 : A_4 = 1 : 2 : 3 : 4$.
Since the areas are proportional to the angles, the ratio of the angles is also $\theta_1 : \theta_2 : \theta_3 : \theta_4 = 1 : 2 : 3 : 4$.

The sum of the angles of the sectors in a circle is $360^\circ$.
So, $\theta_1 + \theta_2 + \theta_3 + \theta_4 = 360^\circ$.

The total proportion is $1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10$.
The angles can be found by dividing the total angle ($360^\circ$) according to the proportions:
$\theta_1 = \frac{1}{\text{Total Proportion}} \times 360^\circ = \frac{1}{10} \times 360^\circ = 36^\circ$.
$\theta_2 = \frac{2}{10} \times 360^\circ = \frac{1}{5} \times 360^\circ = 72^\circ$.
$\theta_3 = \frac{3}{10} \times 360^\circ = \frac{3}{10} \times 360^\circ = 108^\circ$.
$\theta_4 = \frac{4}{10} \times 360^\circ = \frac{2}{5} \times 360^\circ = 144^\circ$.

The four angles are $36^\circ, 72^\circ, 108^\circ, 144^\circ$.
Check the sum: $36 + 72 + 108 + 144 = 108 + 108 + 144 = 216 + 144 = 360^\circ$. The sum is correct.

The largest sector corresponds to the largest proportion, which is 4.
The angle of the largest sector is $\theta_4 = 144^\circ$.

– The area of a sector is directly proportional to its central angle.
– The sum of the central angles of sectors forming a complete circle is 360°.
– Proportional distribution can be calculated by dividing the total quantity by the sum of the ratios.
This concept is fundamental to understanding circle graphs (pie charts), where the size of each slice (sector) represents a proportion of the whole.