Question

How to convert degrees minutes seconds to decimal degrees?

Answer 1

To convert degrees minutes seconds to decimal degrees, divide seconds by 60 to convert to minutes, add to the original minutes, divide by 60 to convert to degrees, and then add to the original degrees. For instance, 35° 43' 9" becomes approximately 35.7192 degrees.

Step-by-step explanation:

To convert degrees minutes seconds to decimal degrees, you need to remember that one degree is equivalent to 60 minutes and one minute is the same as 60 seconds. Therefore, to perform the conversion, you follow these steps:

1. Divide the number of seconds by 60 to convert them into minutes.
2. Add this value to the number of minutes.
3. Divide the total number of minutes by 60 to convert into degrees.
4. Add this value to the original number of degrees.

For instance, if you have an angle of 35° 43' 9", you would convert the 9 seconds into minutes:

9 seconds ÷ 60 = 0.15 minutes, and add it to 43 minutes to get 43.15 minutes.

Then, convert the minutes to degrees:

43.15 ÷ 60 = 0.7191667 degrees, and finally add to the original degrees to get 35.7191667 degrees, which can be rounded to four decimal places, if needed, yielding 35.7192 degrees.