What's the Difference Between a Secant and a Chord?

A straight line that intersects a circle in two points is called a secant line. A chord is the line segment that joins two distinct points of the circle. ... In geometry, a secant is a line that cuts any curve in at least two different points.

Is a secant always a chord?

A secant is technically not a chord, but it contains a chord (the segment between the two red intersection points).

What is difference between secant and segment?

In context|geometry|lang=en terms the difference between segment and secant. is that segment is (geometry) the part of a circle between its circumference and a chord (usually other than the diameter) while secant is (geometry) a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

Senior Technology Editor & AI Specialist

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.