Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Practice Exam

A perpendicular bisector of a chord passes through the _____ of the circle.

1. circumference

2. diameter

3. center

4. radius

The correct answer is: center

The correct choice is the center of the circle. A key property of a circle is that any chord can be bisected perpendicularly by a line that passes through the center of the circle. This means that if you draw a line segment from one point of the circumference to another (forming a chord), the perpendicular bisector of that line will intersect the chord at its midpoint and extend directly to the center of the circle. When considering the geometry of a circle, this property is fundamental for understanding how bisectors interact with chords. The center serves as the point that maintains symmetry for the circle, making it the optimal point to draw such bisectors. This concept is often used in problems related to circle geometry, such as proving relationships among angles and distances within the circle. The other choices, while they might be related to considerations involving chords or circles, do not accurately reflect the relationship being described in this specific context. For instance, the diameter is a specific type of chord that passes through the center and so does not represent the behavior of every chord. The radius is a line segment from the center to the circumference, and while it connects to the concept of the center, it does not serve as the locus where the perpendicular bisector of a chord must