What is the difference between DEG and RAD in calculators?
In: Mathematics
DEG is for when you want to do calculations using degrees and RAD is for when you want to do calculations using radians. Switching between the two is useful when using trigonometric functions. So if you’re in DEG and put SIN(30), you’ll get 0.5 since it’s calculating the sine of 30 degrees. If you’re in radians and put SIN(30), it will calculate sine of 30 radians, which should be something close to -1.
The conversion between the two systems is knowing 180 degrees = 1 pi radians.
Different ways of expressing angles. A complete circle comprises:
—360 degrees, or equivalently
—2π radians
DEG is short for “degrees”. There are 360 in a circle. RAD is short for “radians”, and there are 2 pi radians in a circle.
You have both because sometimes math is easier when you use radians.
Like everyone has said, deg is degrees and rad is radians so I’ll explain them a bit more. Radians is a “natural” unit that you get by dividing the length of an arc (or the full perimiter) by the radius. When you do math with angles, it spits out radians. However, it tends to be more difficult for everyday use. A circle doesn’t have a whole number or radians (in fact it’s infinite and doesn’t repeat just like pi) and they’re larger.
Degrees are pretty old and the origin is lost a bit, but it’s forced on a circle (meaning that it’s something we made up). But in everyday use, it’s easier to work with. There’s a whole number of them and they’re small enough for most general use purposes.
Latest Answers