deg

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

deg
Stands forDegree (angle)
Meanings2
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

deg has two meanings. It stands for Degree (angle) (math) or Degree of a polynomial (math).

Meanings of deg at a glance

#deg stands forContext
1Degree (angle)Units & Measurements › Math
2Degree of a polynomialUnits & Measurements › Math

1. Degree (angle)

Units & Measurements · Math Abbreviations

Unit of angle equal to 1/360 of a full turn, written deg in plain text, programming and calculator modes; the symbol is °. A right angle is 90 deg, and π radians equal 180 deg.

Example: Set the calculator to DEG mode before computing sin 30.

Dividing the circle into 360 parts dates back to Babylonian astronomy, possibly because 360 is close to the number of days in a year and has many divisors. Degrees subdivide into 60 arcminutes and 3,600 arcseconds. Spreadsheet and programming trig functions expect radians, so convert with RADIANS() or multiply by π/180.

2. Degree of a polynomial

Units & Measurements · Math Abbreviations

The highest power of the variable with a nonzero coefficient in a polynomial, written deg p. For p(x) = 4x³ − x + 2, deg p = 3.

Example: If deg f = 3 and deg g = 2, then deg(fg) = 5.

The degree controls the number of roots: a polynomial of degree n has at most n real roots and exactly n complex roots counted with multiplicity. In graph theory, deg v counts the edges at a vertex, a further use of the same abbreviation. The zero polynomial's degree is left undefined or set to negative infinity by convention.

More math abbreviations

  • cos – Cosine
  • cosec – Cosecant
  • cosh – Hyperbolic cosine
  • cot – Cotangent
  • CPCTC – Corresponding parts of congruent triangles are congruent
  • csc – Cosecant
  • det – Determinant
  • dim – Dimension
  • exp – Exponential function
  • FOIL – First, Outer, Inner, Last
  • FTC – Fundamental theorem of calculus
  • GCD – Greatest common divisor

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