Why Is a Full Angle of a Circle 360 ​​Degrees?

In fact, we use numbers at every point of our lives, the reason for which we do not know exactly. For example, soft drink bottles are not 300 or 350, but We know that they are produced 330 ml, however, we generally do not know why. Or even though we know that a minute consists of 60 seconds instead of 50 or 100 seconds, we have no idea why.

Today, we will talk about the exact degree of the circle, which we use frequently, but which most of us do not know. A full circle is always 360 degrees. So why is this number a fractional number like 360, not 100, 300 or 500? Wouldn’t it be easier to calculate if a circle had a degree of 100?

The fact that the circle is 360 degrees provides mathematical convenience.

There is a very logical reason why the degree of the circle, which we often use in mathematics as well as in daily life, is 360 degrees. The number 360 is divisible by all numbers from 1 to 10 except for 7. In other words, the main reason for using 360 in the degree of the circle is that there are too many integer divisors. 360 has exactly 24 divisors. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10,12, 15, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 90, 120, 180)

But what if the full angle of the circle was 100 instead of 360? It has 9 divisions in total. If 100 was the degree of the circle, when we divided the circle into 3 parts, it would yield 33.33 instead of an integer.. In this respect, 360 provides much more convenience mathematically.

The number 360 may be a Sumerian and Babylonian system.

The Sumerians and Babylonians, unlike us, used the 60’s number system. For example, our number system is 10. After we reach 10, we use the other numbers as a continuation of this. in the Sumerians 60’s number systemI. Just as we were calculating on 10 fingers, the Sumerians counted the knuckles on the remaining 4 fingers, excluding the thumb. Which brought them to the conclusion of 12. 5 of 12 would get the number 60.

Measurements such as hour, month, year also come from this system.

A second is 60, a month is 30, a year is 12. comes from this system. This system used by the Sumerians; It enabled them to create great breakthroughs in fields such as mathematics and geometry.

Behind the circle being 360 degrees lies the triangle calculation.

The Sumerians used the number system of 60 would give each triangle the value 60. If a total of 6 equilateral triangles come together, they form a circle-like unity. As a result, when 6 base 60 triangles came together, they formed a 360 base circle.

Exact angle in circles to you today. We explained why it is 360 degrees. If you want more content like this, you can reach us in the comments.