Turn to Gradian Converter

A turn is a unit of angular measurement representing one complete rotation or revolution, equal to 360 degrees or 2π radians. It represents the most fundamental concept of rotational measurement.

The concept of a complete turn or revolution has been understood since ancient times, but its formal use as a unit of measurement became more common in modern mathematics and engineering. It provides an intuitive way to express rotational quantities without conversion factors.

Turns are used in mechanical engineering for describing rotational speed (revolutions per minute), in computer graphics for rotation transformations, and in some mathematical contexts where full rotations are more natural than degrees or radians. They're also used in describing gear ratios and motor specifications.

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.