 Circular arc

A circular arc is a connected portion of a circle. For radius $R>0$ and subtended central angle $0<\theta <2\pi$ measured in radians, its arc length is $R\theta$. Two distinct endpoints determine two circular arcs: when they are not opposite, the minor arc has $\theta <\pi$ and the major arc has $\theta >\pi$. Opposite endpoints determine two semicircles. The straight line segment joining the endpoints is a chord, rather than the curved circular arc itself.