Skip to content
Category

Units of plane angle

page 1
radian
The radian, denoted by the symbol rad, is the unit of angle in the International System of Units (SI) and is the standard unit of angular measure used in many areas of mathematics. It is defined such that one radian is the angle subtended at the center of a plane circle by an arc that is equal in length to the radius. The unit is defined in the SI as the coherent unit for plane angle, as well as for phase angle. Angles without explicitly specified units are generally assumed to be measured in radians, especially in mathematical writing.
degree
angle unit; π/180 radians
gradian
In trigonometry, the gradianalso known as the gon (), grad, or gradeis a unit of measurement of an angle, defined as one-hundredth of the right angle; in other words, 100 gradians is equal to 90 degrees. It is equivalent to of a turn, of a degree, or of a radian. Measuring angles in gradians (gons) is said to employ the centesimal system of angular measurement, initiated as part of metrication and decimalisation efforts.
arcminute
REDIRECT Minute and second of arc
arcsecond
REDIRECT Minute and second of arc
turn
unit of angle
milliradian
A milliradian (SI-symbol mrad, sometimes also abbreviated mil or mils) is an SI derived unit for angular measurement which is defined as a thousandth of a radian (0.001 radian). Milliradians are used in adjustment of firearm sights by adjusting the angle of the sight compared to the barrel (up, down, left, or right). Milliradians are also used for comparing shot groupings, or to compare the difficulty of hitting different sized shooting targets at different distances. When using a scope with both mrad adjustment and a reticle with mrad markings (called an "mrad/mrad scope"), the shooter c
minute and second of arc
angle units
tau
ratio of the circumference of a circle to its radius
clock position
relative direction using a dial