Difference between revisions of "Degree (geometry)"

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[[Category:Geometry]]

Latest revision as of 10:37, 6 November 2007

This article is a stub. Help us out by expanding it.

The degree of an angle is a measurement of the angle, representing $\frac1{360}$ of a full rotation.

Degrees are indicated by the degree symbol; one degree would be written $1^{\circ}$.

Degrees are the only units written right after a number, without a space (e.g. $90^{\circ}$, not $90\,^{\circ}$)

History

The number 360 as the amount of degrees in a circle was probably adopted because it approximates the number of days in a year.

Another reason could be that ancient astronomers noticed that the stars in the sky seem to advance by approximately $\frac1{360}$ of a circle.

See Also