Angle
- If rotation is anticlockwise, the angle is positive. If rotation is clockwise, the angle is negative. One full rotation indicates 360°.
- An angle
is said to be acute angle if 0°
< 90°;
right angle if
= 90°; obtuse angle if 90° <
< 180°;
a straight angle if
= 180°; and
a reflex angle if 180° <
< 360°.
There are three systems of measurement of an angle:
- Sexagesimal system
In this system an angle is measured in degrees, minutes and seconds. A complete rotation describes 360°.
1 right angle = 90° (Since right angle is 1/4 th of full rotation)
A degree is further subdivided as
1degree = 60 minutes, written as 60'
and 1 minute = 60 seconds, written as 60''.
Thus 30·25° = 30° 15', 1·5' = 1' 30'' etc.
We say that 30·25° is in degrees notation; 30° 15' is in degree-minute-second notation. - Centesimal system
In this system an angle is measured in grades, minutes and seconds.
Here 1 right angle = 100 grades, written as 100g.
1 grade = 100 minutes, written as 100` and
1 minute = 100 seconds, written as 100``.
Thus 30·25g = 30g25`, 1·5` = 1`50`` etc.
Circular system
In this system an angle is measured in radians. The circular measure of an angle is the number of radians it contains.A radian is an angle subtended at the center of a circle by an arc whose length is equal to the radius. A radian is a constant angle.

Conversion Formula
Length of an arc of a circle
If an arc of length s subtends an anglethen s = r
Area of a sector of a circle
Area of sector = (1/2)r²
Illustrative Examples
Example
Express in degrees, radians as well as in grades the fourth angle of a
quadrilateral, which has three angles 46° 30' 10'', 75° 44' 45'', 123°
9' 35'' respectively. (Take
= 355/113)
Solution
The sum of three given angles
= 46° 30' 10'' +75° 44' 45''+123° 9' 35''
= 245° 24' 30'' (since 90'' =1'30'' and 84' =1°24')
The sum of all four angles of quadrilateral = 360°.
Fourth angle = 360° -(245° 24' 30'') = 114° 35' 30''
(since 360° = 359° 59' 60'')
To convert it into radians,
114° 35' 30'' = 114° +(35 + 30/60)'
= 114°(71/2)' = 114° +(71/120)°
= (13751/120)°
= (13751/120) x (
/180)
radians (As 180° =
radians)
= (13751/120) x (1/180) x
(355/113) = 2 radians nearly
To convert the angle into centesimal system,
(13751/120)° = (13751/120) x (100/90) grades (since 90° = 100 grades)
= 127·3241 grades = 127g 32` 41``.
Example
If G, D,
denote respectively, the number of grades,
degrees and radians in an angle, prove that
- G/100 = D/90 = 2
/ 
- G -D = 20
/
Solution
We know that 1 right angle = 100g = 90° =
/2 radians.
Let the angle be X right angles.
Then G = 100 X, D = 90 X,
= (
/2)
X ...(1)
- From (1), X = G/100 = D/90 = 2
/ 
Hence the result. - From (1), G -D = 100 X -90 X = 10 X
= 10 x 2
/
= 20
/
Exercise
- Draw diagrams for the following angles:
(i) -135° (ii) 740°. In which quadrant do they lie?
(iii) Find another positive angle whose initial and final positions are same as that of -135°, and indicate on the same diagram. - If
lies in second quadrant, in which quadrant the
following will lie?
(i)
/2 (ii) 2
(iii) -
. - Express the following angles in radian measure as well as centesimal measure:
(i) 45° (ii) 40° 37' 30''. - The circular measure of an angle is 1·5. Express it in English as well as
French system. Take
= 3·14. - The wheel of a carriage is 91 cms in diameter and makes 5 revolutions per second. How fast is the carriage running?
- A wheel makes 180 revolutions in a minute. Through how many radians does it turn in one second?
- Large hand of a clock is 21 cm long. How much distance does its extremity move in 20 minutes?
- Find the angle between the hands of a clock at 7.20 P.M.
- Sum of two angles is 80 grades and difference is 18°. Find the angles in degrees.
- The difference between two acute angles of a right-angled triangle is
/3 in circular measure. Find these angles in degrees. - The circular measures of two angles of a triangle are 1/2 and 1/3. Find the third angle in English system.
- The difference of two angles is 1° while their sum is 1 in circular
measure. Find the angles in degrees in terms of
. - The angles of a triangle are in A.P. and the greatest is double the least. Find all the angles in circular system.
- Express the angle 236·345° in
(i>) degree-minute-second notation (ii) radians.
Answers
1. (i) Third quadrant (ii) First quadrant (iii) 225°2. (i) First quadrant (ii) Third or fourth quadrant
(iii) Third quadrant
3. (i)
(ii) 65
4. 85° 59' 14'' or 95g 54` 14``
5. 51· 48 km / hour 6. 6
7. 44 cm 8. 100°
9. 45° and 27° 10. 63°, 27°
11. 132° 16' 22''
12. (180 +
13. 2
14. (i) 236° 20' 42'' (ii) 4·125 radians
