More generally — in geometry, science, engineering, and many other contexts — the radius of something (e.g., a cylinder, a polygon, a mechanical part, a hole, or a galaxy) usually refers to the distance from its center or axis of symmetry to a point in the periphery: usually the point farthest from the center or axis (the outermost or maximum radius), or, sometimes, the closest point (the short or minimum radius). If the object does not have an obvious center, the term may refer to its circumradius, the volume finding radius increasing rate of its circumscribed circle or circumscribed sphere. In either case, the radius may be more than half the diameter (which is usually defined as the maximum distance between any two points of the figure).
The inradius of a geometric figure is usually the radius of the largest circle or sphere contained in it. The inner radius of a ring, tube or other hollow object is the radius of its cavity.
Question
An airplane reaches an altitude of 3 miles above the earth .Assuming a clear day and that a passenger has binoculars , how far can that passenger see ?(Hint : The radius of the earth is approximately 4000 miles)
Answer
Cosθ = OB/OA = 4000/4003 = 0.999 = cos(2.56)
So θ = 2.56˚
∟BOC = 2θ = 5.12˚= 0.0893 radians
Now arc BC = 4000 . ∟BOC
= 4000 . 0.0893 = 357.2 miles
The passenger can see a circular region of diameter 357.2 miles
