Difference between revisions of "Degree"
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| − | '''Degree''' has several distinct meanings in common usage. | + | '''Degree''' has several distinct meanings in common academic usage. The root from which it was derived meant 'step'. So the phrase '''by degrees''', for example, means 'step by step', or 'in small increments', 'in steps of small, discretely measurable units'. Here are some examples of the sorts of small units that are meant by '''degree'''. |
| + | *In traditional geometry there are 360 '''degrees''' in a circle, and by extension, the surface of the Earth is mapped in '''degrees''' of latitude (0 ° (the equator) - 90 ° N and 90 ° S) and longitude (0 ° - 180 ° E and 180 ° W of the chosen base line, conventionally, in Britain, the longitude of Greenwich. A similar idea is used in mapping the stars. | ||
| + | **The word '''degree''' is used in other areas of mathematics: in statistics, and other sciences, there are '''degrees of freedom''', for example. | ||
| + | *Scales of temperature such as [[Fahrenheit]] and [[Celsius - Centigrade|celsius]] are measured in '''degrees''', and in fact this word can be applied to a stage in any scale; | ||
| + | **This is connected with the not uncommon academic expressions '''to some degree''', meaning 'to a certain extent' and '''to the highest degree''', meaning 'at the top of the scale'. | ||
| + | *Less precisely, nurses and doctors may describe burns as from '''first degree''' (the least serious) down to '''third degree''' in modern usage ('sixth degree' in Dupuytren's classification of 1832) to indicate their severity. | ||
| + | *American law distinguishes between '''first degree''' crimes (the most heinous) and less serious offences, of the '''third degree'''. (But '''the third degree''' is also a stage of interrogation involving inflicting pain in order to gain information, or a confession; basically mild torture.). | ||
| + | *'''Degrees''' of relationship, or consanguineity, are the steps of relationship in genealogy: a parent is one degree from a child, and the grandparent is two degrees away. | ||
| + | **This has been extended to the ideas of rank, or importance, particularly in hereditary societies. | ||
| + | Students should be familiar with the idea of a '''degree''' as an academic qualification earned in [[higher education]]. See also [[Bachelor's degree]], [[Master's degree]] and [[doctorate]]. | ||
| − | [[ | + | The conventional sign for a '''degree''' in several of the scientific areas in which it means 'a [precisely defined] unit' is ° |
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| + | [[category:UK education system]] | ||
| + | [[category:academic culture]] | ||
| + | [[category:measurement]] | ||
| + | [[Category:numbers]] | ||
| + | [[Category:abbreviations]] | ||
| + | [[Category:typography]] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:42, 4 June 2016
Degree has several distinct meanings in common academic usage. The root from which it was derived meant 'step'. So the phrase by degrees, for example, means 'step by step', or 'in small increments', 'in steps of small, discretely measurable units'. Here are some examples of the sorts of small units that are meant by degree.
- In traditional geometry there are 360 degrees in a circle, and by extension, the surface of the Earth is mapped in degrees of latitude (0 ° (the equator) - 90 ° N and 90 ° S) and longitude (0 ° - 180 ° E and 180 ° W of the chosen base line, conventionally, in Britain, the longitude of Greenwich. A similar idea is used in mapping the stars.
- The word degree is used in other areas of mathematics: in statistics, and other sciences, there are degrees of freedom, for example.
- Scales of temperature such as Fahrenheit and celsius are measured in degrees, and in fact this word can be applied to a stage in any scale;
- This is connected with the not uncommon academic expressions to some degree, meaning 'to a certain extent' and to the highest degree, meaning 'at the top of the scale'.
- Less precisely, nurses and doctors may describe burns as from first degree (the least serious) down to third degree in modern usage ('sixth degree' in Dupuytren's classification of 1832) to indicate their severity.
- American law distinguishes between first degree crimes (the most heinous) and less serious offences, of the third degree. (But the third degree is also a stage of interrogation involving inflicting pain in order to gain information, or a confession; basically mild torture.).
- Degrees of relationship, or consanguineity, are the steps of relationship in genealogy: a parent is one degree from a child, and the grandparent is two degrees away.
- This has been extended to the ideas of rank, or importance, particularly in hereditary societies.
Students should be familiar with the idea of a degree as an academic qualification earned in higher education. See also Bachelor's degree, Master's degree and doctorate.
The conventional sign for a degree in several of the scientific areas in which it means 'a [precisely defined] unit' is °
