Degrees to Minutes

Sexagesimal Geometry & GPS Navigation Standards

The Sexagesimal System (base-60), originated by Babylonian astronomers, divides 1 circle into 360 degrees, each degree into 60 arcminutes, and each arcminute into 60 arcseconds.

Primary Angular Conversion Multipliers

• 1 Full Circle: = 360^ = 21,600' = 1,296,000" = 2π Radians

• 1 Degree (1^): = 60' (arcminutes) = 3,600" (arcseconds) = (π) / (180) rad ≈ 0.017453 rad

• 1 Arcminute (1'): = (1) / (60)^ = 60" = (π) / (10,800) rad ≈ 0.000291 rad

• 1 Nautical Mile (NM): 1' of Latitude = 1,852 meters = 6,076.12 feet

Equations

• Arcminutes = Degrees × 60

• Degrees = Arcminutes60

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your Angular / Coordinate Value to Convert (e.g. 45.50) and Conversion Direction — choose from Decimal Degrees to Arcminutes (° → ' / multiply by 60), Arcminutes to Decimal Degrees (' → ° / divide by 60). Results update instantly as you type — adjust any value to compare scenarios.

The Formula

Conversion factors used in this calculator:

1 Degree = 60 Arcminutes

Worked Example

A GPS coordinate of 45.50° North latitude converts to 45° 30' N (2,730 arcminutes from the Equator), representing 2,730 nautical miles of distance.

Understanding Your Result

Unit conversion precision: round to the same number of significant figures as your original measurement. Converting 6 feet to meters gives 1.8288 m — but if your measurement was approximate (±1 inch), expressing more than 2 decimal places is false precision. For international trade and technical specifications, SI units (meters, kilograms, liters) are the standard. US customary units (feet, pounds, gallons) differ from Imperial UK units: 1 US gallon = 3.785 L vs. 1 UK gallon = 4.546 L.