Radian
Also called rad
The radian is the unit of angle defined as arc length divided by radius. Because it is a ratio of two lengths it carries no dimensions, and one full revolution contains 2 pi radians, roughly 6.283.
Mark off an arc whose length equals the radius, and the angle it subtends at the center is one radian.
Length over length, so the radian is dimensionless. It is written rad, and it cancels freely: meters per second comes out of with in meters and in rad/s, with no leftover unit to explain.
Conversions worth having cold:
- One full revolution is rad, so rad is 180 degrees.
- One radian is about 57.3 degrees.
- Degrees to radians: multiply by .
Every rotational equation on the AP sheets assumes radians. The arc relation , the linear links and , and the three constant-acceleration rotational equations are all derived with the angle in radians. Feed them degrees and the answer is wrong by a factor of , with no unit mismatch to warn you, because the radian is dimensionless. EK 5.1.A.1 specifies radians for angular displacement for exactly this reason.
Degrees do still appear: the in a torque, the angle of an incline, the direction of a vector. Those are angles between two directions rather than amounts of rotation, and either unit works there as long as your calculator mode matches.
See angular displacement and the AP Physics 1 equation sheet.