How to Use a Compass to Draw a Circle

April 07, 2022 Post a Comment

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Drawing a circle freehand is tricky, just luckily there are lots of tools and tricks at your disposal that can aid. From using a compass to tracing round objects, drawing perfect circles volition be a breeze one time you discover the method that works for y'all!

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Notice something circular that you can trace. Whatever round object volition work. You tin can use a round glass, the bottom of a candle, or a circular piece of newspaper. Just make sure the rounded edge is smooth.
2

Hold the round object on a piece of newspaper. Take the round role of the object and place it flat on the newspaper where you desire to draw your circumvolve. Use the hand you don't draw with to concord information technology in place so it doesn't move when you're tracing it.

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3
Trace around the edge of the object. Take a pencil and follow along the circular edge of the object until you've completed the circle. When you're finished, accept the object off the piece of newspaper and you'll have a perfect circle!
- If there are any gaps in the circle after you movement the circular object, fill up them in with the pencil.
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1

Attach a pencil to a cartoon compass. Insert the pencil in the slot at the end of the compass and tighten it into place so it'south secure.^[i]
2

Adjust the compass arms depending on how large you want your circle to be. If you desire a large circle, pull the arms of the compass away from each other and so the angle between them is bigger. If you want a modest circumvolve, push button the arms closer together then at that place's a pocket-sized angle between them.^[2]
3

Place the ends of the compass on a slice of paper. Position the compass where you want to draw the circle. The finish of the compass with the pencil attached to it volition exist where the outside of your circle is, and the other cease of the compass will be the center of the circumvolve.^[3]
4
Rotate the compass to depict a circle. Keeping both ends of the compass on the piece of paper, rotate the compass so the end with the pencil spins around and draws a circle.^[4]
- Avert shifting the compass while you lot're drawing the circle or your circumvolve will be uneven.
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Tie a piece of string to the pointed end of a pencil. The longer the piece of string you lot use, the bigger your circle volition be.
2

Hold the end of the string downwardly on a slice of paper. Wherever the stop of the string is on the paper is where the center of the circle will be. Use your fingers to agree the end of the cord in place.
3

Pull the string taut and describe a circle with the pencil. Keep holding the end of the string downwards as you're cartoon the circumvolve. If you keep the string pulled taut as you depict a circle around the center, yous should cease upwardly with a perfect circle!

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Lay a protractor apartment on a piece of newspaper. Position the protractor on the paper where y'all desire to depict a circumvolve.
2
Trace the curved edge of the protractor. This will be the outset half of your circumvolve. Don't trace the flat edge of the protractor.
- Make sure you hold the protractor in place while you trace it and so information technology doesn't shift and mess up your line.
3

Rotate the protractor and trace the other half of the circumvolve. Line the straight edge of the protractor up with the ends of the curved line you traced. Then, trace the curved edge of the protractor to close your circle.

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1

Place paper on top of a slice of cardboard. Any kind of cardboard volition piece of work, as long equally it'due south thick and a pin can push button through it.^[5]
2

Push a pin through the paper and the cardboard. Position the pivot then it'southward in the spot where you want the center of the circle to be. Make certain it'due south secure in the cardboard so it doesn't shift when you're drawing the circumvolve.^[6]
3
Put a condom band around the pin. The larger the rubber band, the bigger your circle will be. If y'all want to draw a small circle, use a pocket-sized rubber band or wrap the rubber ring around the pin twice.^[7]
- If you don't accept a safety band, you can tie a slice of cord into a circle and apply that instead.
four

Place the tip of a pencil in the other end of the safe band. At this point, the rubber band should be wrapped around both the pin and the pencil.^[eight]
5

Pull the rubber band taut and draw a circle with the pencil. Brand certain you go on the prophylactic band pulled taut while you describe the circumvolve so it'southward even.^[ix]

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1

Concur a pencil similar you usually would. You lot want to agree the pencil using the hand y'all'd commonly describe and write with.
two
Place the tip of the pencil on a piece of newspaper. Cull a spot on the paper where you want to draw your circle.
- Don't press hard on the paper with the tip of the pencil. You want to be lightly holding the pencil tip on top of the paper.
3

Move the paper in a circle underneath the pencil. Use your complimentary hand to slowly move the paper in a circle nether the pencil, which volition cause the pencil to draw a circle on the paper. If yous want to describe a large circle, brand a big circumvolve with the paper. If you want to draw a small circle, only make a small circle when yous move the paper.

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Add together New Question

Question

Is it possible to draw a perfect circle?

This answer was written past 1 of our trained team of researchers who validated information technology for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Respond

Information technology's hard to do information technology freehand, but you tin can brand a perfect or almost perfect circle pretty easily by tracing a circular object or using a compass.
Question

How do y'all draw a big circle?

This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated information technology for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

You lot tin can fix a compass at a wide setting or trace a large circular object, such as a dinner plate or the bottom of a flat frying pan.
Question

What are the parts of a circle?

This answer was written by i of our trained squad of researchers who validated information technology for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The distance around the outside of a circumvolve is called the circumference, while the distance across is chosen the bore. If yous measure from the middle of the circle to a point on the outer border, that's the radius. Other parts include a sector (a wedge or slice of the circle that goes from the eye to two points on the outer edge), an arc (role of the outer edge of the circle), and a chord (a line drawn through any 2 points on the circle—the diameter is a kind of chord).
Question

How did ancient people draw circles?

Much as yous do but they used different mediums, such as soil, ochres, rock tints and the like.

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Article Summary X

To draw a circle, take a compass with a pencil attached and place the ends on a slice of newspaper. Then, keeping the end without the pencil stationery, rotate the compass 360 degrees then the pencil draws a perfect circle. If you don't accept a compass, you can draw a circle using a slice of string instead. First, tie 1 end of the cord to the tip of a pencil. Side by side, hold the other terminate of the string down on a piece of newspaper where y'all desire the heart of the circumvolve to exist. Then, just pull the pencil so the string is taut and draw a circumvolve around the end of the string. If you lot desire to learn how to depict a circle using a protractor or a pin, proceed reading the article!

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