How to Divide a Circle

Create a circle., Place guides at the center both vertically and horizontally. , Create a straight line outside of your circle. , Rotate the line 72 degrees from the left side. , Click the "Copy" button. , Join to make a triangle., Align and snap...

10 Steps 1 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Create a circle.

    With the Join Path tool in Pathfinder, join the angle at all three sides. ,, Select both your new shapes and use the Intersect tool in the Pathfinder.

    With your newly created wedge, use the rotate tool and rotate a copy of the wedge 72 degrees. , Do the rotation-and-copy process with Object, then Transform Again. , You can repeat these steps for different division, merely by using different angles.

    Divide 360 by how many parts you would like, and that number will be the size of your angle. 360 represents the full angle of a circle. ie.

    Four equal parts: 360º ÷ 4 = 90º
  2. Step 2: Place guides at the center both vertically and horizontally.

  3. Step 3: Create a straight line outside of your circle.

  4. Step 4: Rotate the line 72 degrees from the left side.

  5. Step 5: Click the "Copy" button.

  6. Step 6: Join to make a triangle.

  7. Step 7: Align and snap the bottom-left corner of your newly formed triangle into the upper-right corner of the intersection in the center of your circle.

  8. Step 8: Rotate the wedge.

  9. Step 9: Repeat the process.

  10. Step 10: In this example the circle was divided into 5 parts (72º degrees all the way around).

Detailed Guide

With the Join Path tool in Pathfinder, join the angle at all three sides. ,, Select both your new shapes and use the Intersect tool in the Pathfinder.

With your newly created wedge, use the rotate tool and rotate a copy of the wedge 72 degrees. , Do the rotation-and-copy process with Object, then Transform Again. , You can repeat these steps for different division, merely by using different angles.

Divide 360 by how many parts you would like, and that number will be the size of your angle. 360 represents the full angle of a circle. ie.

Four equal parts: 360º ÷ 4 = 90º

About the Author

D

Denise Chapman

Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.

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