Radian symbol, and in mathematical writing the symbol "rad" is almost always omitted. When quantifying an angle in the absence of any symbol, radians are assumed, and when degrees are meant the symbol ° is used. It follows that the magnitude in radians of one complete revolution (360 degrees) is the length of the entire circumference divided by the radius, or , or 2. Thus 2 radians is equal to 360 degrees, meaning that one radian is equal to 180/ degrees. The relation formula_1 can be derived using the formula for arc length. Taking the formula for arc length, or formula_2.
Decimal degrees radius of the semi-major axis of the Earth at the equator is 6,378,137.0 meters resulting in a circumference of 40,075,161.2 meters. The equator is divided into 360 degrees of longitude, so each degree at the equator represents 111,319.9 meters or approximately 111.32 km. As one moves away from the equator towards a pole, however, one degree of longitude is multiplied by the cosine of the latitude, decreasing the distance, approaching zero at the pole. The number of decimal places required for a particular precision at the equator is: A value in decimal degrees to a precision of 4 decimal places