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Radians vs Degrees

The Hook

The math way to measure.

What is it?

A unit of angle measure based on the radius of the circle.

Time Travel (History)

Adopted because it simplifies Calculus formulas. In Calculus, derivatives of trig functions only work cleanly in Radians.

Cheat Code

180 degrees = π radians.

Practice This Now!

The Field Guide

In Plain English: Degrees (360) are arbitrary numbers from ancient Babylonians. Radians are physical. One Radian is the angle you get when you wrap the radius along the edge of the circle.

In The Real World: Car tires. When calculating how fast a car moves based on wheel rotation (angular velocity), you must use Radians.

How To Do It

  1. To get Radians: Multiply Degrees by (π / 180).
  2. To get Degrees: Multiply Radians by (180 / π).
  3. Simplify the fraction (don't type π into the calculator unless you need a decimal).

Booby Trap!

Multiplying by the wrong conversion factor. Remember: You want to cancel out the unit you started with.

Real World Challenge
"You eat a slice of pizza that is 45 degrees. How much is that in Radians?"
The Logic: Take 45. Multiply by π/180. 45/180 simplifies to 1/4. The answer is π/4 radians.

Training Drills

Conversion
Deg -> Rad: * π/180 Rad -> Deg: * 180/π
Think: 'Put the unit I want on top'.