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Coterminal angle calculator

Reduce an angle to one turn, find coterminal examples, or check whether two angles end on the same ray.

Calculator

Representative in [0, 360) degrees
315
Strictly positive representative
315
Strictly negative representative
-45
Angle plus chosen turns
315

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How this calculator works

Adding or removing complete revolutions changes how far an angle turns without changing its terminal ray. The principal result lies from 0 inclusive to 360 degrees exclusive. Separate strictly positive and strictly negative examples are also shown. Multiples-of-pi mode accepts a coefficient such as 3/2 without typing pi. Two angles are treated as coterminal within 10^-10 radians; very large floating-point inputs may lose small angular details.

Formula

Coterminal angles have the form theta + 2k pi radians, where k is an integer. Their difference divided by 2 pi is a whole number.

Worked example

-45 degrees and 315 degrees differ by one revolution and are coterminal. Also 9pi/2 radians reduces to pi/2 radians after subtracting two complete turns.

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Frequently asked questions

Are there infinitely many coterminal angles?

Yes. Every integer k adds a different whole-turn count to the same terminal direction.

What happens for a multiple of 360 degrees?

The principal representative is 0 degrees. The strictly positive and negative examples are 360 degrees and -360 degrees.

Can I add half a turn?

A half turn changes the terminal ray. Use a whole number in the turns field to keep the angle coterminal.

Sources

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