Angle Converter
Degree
Definition: A degree (in full, a degree of arc, arc degree, or arcdegree), usually denoted by ° (the degree symbol), is a measurement of a plane angle in which one full rotation is 360 degrees.
History/origin: The original motivation for choosing the degree as a unit of rotations and angles is unknown. One theory states that it is related to the fact that 360 is approximately the number of days in a year. Ancient astronomers noticed that the sun advanced roughly one degree in the sky each day.
Current use: Degrees are widely used in geometry, trigonometry, geography (latitude and longitude), astronomy, and everyday engineering applications.
Minute of arc
Definition: A minute of arc, arcminute (arcmin), or minute arc, denoted by the symbol ', is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/60 of one degree.
History/origin: The division of degrees into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds comes from the ancient Babylonian sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system, which was highly divisible and useful for astronomical calculations.
Current use: Arcminutes are commonly used in fields that require measurement of small angles, such as astronomy, optometry, ophthalmology, optics, navigation, and land surveying.
Degree to Minute of arc Conversion Table
| Degree [deg] | Minute of arc [min] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 deg | 0.6 min |
| 0.1 deg | 5.99999999 min |
| 1 deg | 59.99999988 min |
| 2 deg | 119.99999976 min |
| 3 deg | 179.99999964 min |
| 5 deg | 299.9999994 min |
| 10 deg | 599.9999988 min |
| 20 deg | 1199.9999976 min |
| 50 deg | 2999.999994 min |
| 100 deg | 5999.999988 min |
| 1000 deg | 59999.99988 min |
How to Convert Degree to Minute of arc
1 deg = 59.99999988 min
1 min = 0.01666667 deg
Example: convert 15 deg to min:
15 deg = 15 × 59.99999988 min = 899.9999982 min
Did You Know?
- A full circle is divided into 360 degrees. This system likely originated from ancient Babylonians who used a base-60 number system.
- An arcminute is 1/60th of a degree. It is heavily used in astronomy and navigation to measure the apparent size of celestial bodies.