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Degree

From Encyclopedia of Mathematics - Reading time: 1 min

A unit of measurement of planar angles, equal to 1/90 of the right angle; denoted by ${}^\circ$. A degree is subdivided into 60 minutes ($60'$) or 3600 seconds ($3600''$). A right angle has 90 degrees, a straight angle has 180 degrees. Degrees are also used to measure circular arcs (a full circle has 360 degrees).


Comments[edit]

Due to computer necessities and increasing precision, computations are more often done in decimal parts and no longer in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Sometimes, a degree of a number $a$ is an expression of the form $a^b$ where $b$ is also a (suitable) number, see Power.

There are numerous other ways in which the word degree is used. E.g. degree of a polynomial; degree of a mapping; degree of unsolvability, degree of irrationality, and many more. It is also, of course, the name of the unit for temperature measurements in various scales.


How to Cite This Entry: Degree (Encyclopedia of Mathematics) | Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Degree
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