Why Does A Circle Measure 360 Degrees? - Matematica.PT

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Why does a circle measure 360 degrees?

short answers for big questions

It's all the same if you ask the reason why the circle measures 360 degrees, the reason why it is divided in 360 equal parts or the reason why 1 degree is a measurement unit for angles which correspond to `1/360` de um círculo.

For instance, the grad is a measurement unit for angles meaning that there are 400 grads in a circle (whose probable roots come from the British Military System). But for Mathematicians, the most important measure for angles is the radian, according to which there are `2pi` radians in a circle.

In conclusion it seems obvious that no matter if we are talking about degrees, grad or radians we mean a measurement unit to measure angles, as metre is used to measure length and grams are used to measure mass.

In conclusion, and so as to answer the question, it is believed that the 360º come from the numeration system of Babylon. While our numeration system uses the base10, theirs used the base 60. Therefore, it comes from `6 xx 60 = 360` It explains why it is easy to subdivide the circle in several equal parts. Out of curiosity, the way we measure time nowadays also has its origins in that numeration system, since hours and minutes and seconds are divided into 60 equal parts.

Check out our List of Questions to get to know a little more about the most diverse topics related to mathematics. If you have any pertinent (math) question whose answer can not easily be found, send us an email on the Contact page with the question. We will be happy to respond. In the event that you detect any errors in our answers, do not hesitate to contact us!

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