Major arc and minor arc

Explanation

If point \(O\) is the center of the circle in figure (b), \(\overline{AD}\) is a diameter and \(\widehat{AED}\) is a semicircle. The middle letter \(E\) distinguishes semicircle \(\widehat{AED}\) (the part of the circle from point \(A\) to point \(D\) that includes point \(E\)) from semicircle \(\widehat{ABD}\) (the part of the circle from point \(A\) to point \(D\) that includes point \(B\)).

An arc that is shorter than a semicircle is a minor arc. An arc that is longer than a semicircle is a major arc. In the above figure,\(\widehat{AE}\) is a minor arc and\(\widehat{ABE}\) is a major arc.