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Degree


The word "degree" has many meanings in mathematics.

The most common meaning is the unit of angle measure defined such that an entire rotation is 360 degrees. This unit harks back to the Babylonians, who used a base 60 number system. 360 degrees likely arises from the Babylonian year, which was composed of 360 days (12 months of 30 days each). The degree is subdivided into 60 arc minutes per degree, and 60 arc seconds per arc minute. In the Wolfram Language, the symbol giving the number of radians in one degree is Degree.

The word "degree" is also used in many contexts where it is synonymous with "order," as applied for example to polynomials.


See also

Arc Minute, Arc Second, Brouwer Degree, Degree Matrix, Degree of Freedom, Degree Sequence, Degree Set, Extension Field Degree, Indegree, Local Degree, Outdegree, Polynomial Degree, Vertex Degree

Related Wolfram sites

http://functions.wolfram.com/Constants/Degree/

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References

Bringhurst, R. The Elements of Typographic Style, 2nd ed. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks, p. 276, 1997.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Degree

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Degree." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Degree.html

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