from our friends at Tormach
There are two ways to program G02 and G03 arcs, radius format and center format. The syntax is as follows:
G02 X_ Y_ Z_ A_ R_ (for radius format)
or
G02 X_ Y_ Z_ A_ I_ J_ (for center format).
While radius format can be convenient for programming, it’s really not suitable for some of the most commonly hand-coded shapes, namely full circles and semi-circles. Because the center point is not explicitly programmed, but rather calculated from the given radius, a small rounding error in the arc end point will have a magnified effect on the position of the center point of the arc, effectively ensuring your circles and semi-circles will be out-of-round. For these cases, programming in center format is the only way to go.
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