Gradian to Arcsecond Converter

A gradian (grad), also called a gon, is a unit of angular measurement where a full rotation is divided into 400 gradians. One gradian equals 1/400 of a complete circle, making a right angle equal to 100 gradians.

The gradian was introduced during the French Revolution as part of the metric system around 1795. It was designed to decimalize angle measurement, making calculations easier by using base-10 arithmetic. The system was promoted alongside other metric reforms but never achieved widespread adoption outside of surveying.

Gradians are primarily used in surveying and some European engineering applications. They're particularly common in land surveying in France, Germany, and other parts of Europe. Some surveying instruments and software support gradian measurements, though degrees remain more common globally.

An arcsecond (″) is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/60 of an arcminute or 1/3600 of a degree. It represents extremely fine angular precision, essential for high-precision measurements.

The arcsecond follows from the continued subdivision of the Babylonian system, where arcminutes were further divided into 60 arcseconds. The term comes from 'pars minuta secunda' meaning 'second small part'. This level of precision became crucial with the development of telescopic astronomy in the 17th century.

Arcseconds are critical in professional astronomy for measuring stellar positions, parallax, and proper motion. They're used in satellite navigation systems, precision surveying, telescope specifications, and astrometry. The Hubble Space Telescope, for example, has angular resolution measured in arcseconds.