About Centiradians
Centiradians, also known as centrad, are a unit of angular measurement commonly used in mathematics and engineering. As the name suggests, a centiradian is equal to one-hundredth of a radian, which is the standard unit for measuring angles in the International System of Units (SI).
The centiradian is a convenient unit for expressing small angles, especially when dealing with precise measurements or calculations. A full circle is divided into 2π radians, which means that there are approximately 6283 centiradians in a complete revolution.
Centiradians of degrees are often used in fields such as optics, where small angles are frequently encountered. For example, when discussing the angular resolution of a telescope or the field of view of a camera lens, centiradians provide a more precise measurement than degrees. Additionally, they are commonly used in trigonometry and calculus, where angles are often expressed in radians but need to be converted to degrees for practical applications.
About Milliradians
Milliradians, often abbreviated as mrad or mil, are a unit of measurement commonly used in fields such as military, engineering, and ballistics. Derived from the concept of a radian, which is a unit used to measure angles in a circle, a milliradian is equal to one-thousandth of a radian. This makes it a very precise unit for measuring small angles.
Milliradians are particularly useful in long-range shooting and artillery calculations. In these applications, milliradians are used to measure the angular size of a target or the angular deviation of a projectile's trajectory. By converting these angular measurements into milliradians, it becomes easier to make accurate adjustments and calculations for aiming and targeting.
One of the advantages of using milliradians is that they are a dimensionless unit, meaning they do not depend on the distance to the target. This makes milliradians a versatile and consistent unit of measurement, allowing for easy comparison and calculation across different ranges. Additionally, milliradians are often used in conjunction with metric units, making them compatible with the International System of Units (SI).
In summary, milliradians are a precise and widely used unit of measurement for small angles. Their applications range from military and ballistics to engineering and surveying. With their dimensionless nature and compatibility with metric units, milliradians provide a reliable and standardized method for measuring and calculating angles in various fields.
Note that there are several variants of Milliradians, namely NATO Mils, USSR Mils, US WW2 Mils and UK Mils. Information on these variants are available from the links on this page.