Convert Degrees to Centesimal Seconds

Convert Degrees (°) to Centesimal Seconds (c″) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

c″ = ° × 11111.11111

About Degrees

The degree (°) is the most widely used angle unit in everyday life, tracing to Babylonian astronomy ~300 BCE - the ecliptic was divided into 360 parts because the sexagesimal base-60 system made 360 highly divisible (by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20). Each degree divides into 60 arcminutes and 3,600 arcseconds. The degree dominates practical work: compass bearings, geographic coordinates (latitude ±90°, longitude ±180°), wind direction, polygon angles, and engineering drawings. Calculus uses radians because sin(x) ≈ x only holds in radians. 1° = π/180 rad ≈ 17.453 mrad.

About Centesimal Seconds

A centesimal second (c″) is 1/10,000 of a gradian - exactly π/2,000,000 rad ≈ 1.5708 × 10⁻⁶ rad. In the gradian hierarchy, 1 right angle = 100 grad = 10,000 c′ = 1,000,000 c″. High-precision total stations calibrated in gons report to 0.1-1 c″, equivalent to ~0.0324 arcseconds. Used in French, Dutch, Swiss, and Scandinavian cadastral surveys. DIN 1313 designates 10 c″ = 1 milligon (mgon). 1 c″ ≈ 0.324″ sexagesimal = π/2,000,000 rad.

Quick Reference Table

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