Understanding Angles
An angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the sides of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the vertex. Angles are fundamental in geometry, physics, and engineering.
Introduction & History
The concept of angle measurement dates back to ancient civilizations like the Babylonians, who used a base-60 number system that influenced our modern degree system. The radian, now the SI unit for angular measure, was introduced in the 19th century by James Thomson.
Key Units
Degree (°)
A full circle is 360 degrees, with each degree divided into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds.
Radian (rad)
The SI unit of angular measure, defined as the angle subtended at the center of a circle by an arc equal in length to the radius.
Gradian (grad)
A unit of angle equal to 1/400 of a full circle, or 0.9 degrees.
Mil (mil)
Used in military applications, equal to 1/6400 of a full circle.
Practical Applications
Navigation and cartography
Astronomy
Engineering design
Computer graphics
Robotics
Key Formula
Converting Between Angle Units
This formula converts between radians and degrees, the two most common angle measurement units.