Degree (geometry)
Revision as of 20:40, 31 October 2006 by I_like_pie (talk | contribs)
The degree of an angle is a measurement of the angle, representing 
of a full rotation.
Degrees are indicated by the degree symbol; one degree would be written 
.
Degrees are the only units written right after a number, without a space (e.g. 
, not 
)
History
The number 360 as the amount of degrees in a circle was probably adopted because it approximates the number of days in a year.
Another reason could be that ancient astronomers noticed that the stars in the sky seem to advance by approximately of a circle (one degree).
