Degree of an Angle
Term generally used to refer to the unit of measure of angles.
A degree is the measure of a central angle whose sides intercept an arc that is [latex]\dfrac{1}{360}[/latex] of the circumference of a circle.
Symbols
The symbol for the measure of an angle in degrees (°) is placed immediately to the right of the number representing the measure. The measure "35°" is read "35 degrees". A degree of an angle can be divided into 60 minutes. The symbol for a minute of an angle (‘) is placed immediately to the right of the number representing the measure. The measure "15’" is read "15 minutes". A minute of an angle can be divided into 60 seconds. The symbol for a second of an angle ([latex]^{\prime \prime}[/latex]) is placed immediately to the right of the number representing the measure. The measure "28″" is read "28 seconds".Examples
- A circle is divided into 360 degrees or 360°.
- A right angle measures 90°.