Question 1

How do I convert degrees to radians?

Accepted Answer

Multiply degrees by π/180 (approximately 0.017453). So 90° = 90 × π/180 = π/2 ≈ 1.5708 radians. To go from radians to degrees, multiply by 180/π ≈ 57.296.

Question 2

What is a gradian (gon)?

Accepted Answer

A gradian divides a right angle into 100 equal parts, so a full circle = 400 gradians. It was designed to make decimal calculations easier and is still used in surveying and civil engineering in some countries.

Question 3

What is the difference between arc minutes and minutes of time?

Accepted Answer

Arc minutes are used to measure angles (1° = 60 arc minutes). Minutes of time measure duration (1 hour = 60 minutes). Despite the same name, they are completely different quantities. GPS coordinates use degrees, arc minutes, and arc seconds.

Question 4

Why do programmers use radians instead of degrees?

Accepted Answer

Trigonometric functions in most programming languages (Math.sin, Math.cos, etc.) take radians as input. Radians also simplify many mathematical formulas — for example, the arc length formula s = rθ only works when θ is in radians.

Angle Converter — Degrees, Radians, Gradians

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