At 187°, this is a reflex angle, which goes more than halfway around a circle. It is the "outside" of a 173° angle: together they make a full 360° circle.
187° is 187/360 of a full circle, or 187π/180 radians. If you face north and turn 187° clockwise, you end up facing between S and SSW (closest to south (S)).
187° angle facts
| Angle type | Reflex angle (between 180° and 360°) |
|---|---|
| Explement (adds to 360°) | 173° |
| Radians | 187π/180 ≈ 3.263766 |
| Gradians | 207.7778 grad |
| Fraction of a turn | 187/360 (51.94%) |
| Degrees, minutes, seconds | 187° 0′ 0″ |
| Compass bearing | between S and SSW (closest to south (S)) |
Trigonometric values of 187°
| Function | Value |
|---|---|
| sin 187° | −0.121869 |
| cos 187° | −0.992546 |
| tan 187° | 0.122785 |
187° on a protractor
How to draw a 187° angle with a protractor
- Subtract from 360°: 360° − 187° = 173°. A standard protractor only goes to 180°, so you draw the smaller angle first.
- Draw a straight line with a ruler and mark the vertex at one end.
- Place the protractor's center mark on the vertex, line up the 0° baseline with your line, and make a dot at 173°.
- Join the vertex to the dot. The inside angle is 173°; the outside angle, going the long way around, is 187°. Draw the angle arc on the outside and label it 187°.
- With a 360° protractor you can skip the subtraction: put 0° on your first line and mark 187° directly.
Drawing it a 187° angle without a protractor (rise and run method)
- 187° = 180° − 7°. Draw a straight line, pick a vertex on it, and build a 7° angle on one side as follows; the angle on the other side of the new line is 173°.
- Draw a straight baseline and measure exactly 10 inches along it from the vertex.
- At the 10-inch mark, draw a short line straight up at 90° (use a carpenter's square or the corner of a sheet of paper).
- Measure 1.23 inches (about 1 1/4″) up that line and make a mark.
- Join the mark to the vertex. The angle at the vertex is 7°, because tan 7° ≈ 0.1228.
- That gives you 173°. The outside (reflex) angle is 187°.
Where you see 187° angles
- The Earth turns 187° on its axis in about 12 h 28 min.
- A 187° reflex angle is what you measure when you go the "long way" around, like the outside corner of a building or a turn of more than half a circle.
Related angles
187° angle FAQ
What type of angle is 187°?
A 187° angle is a reflex angle, because it is between 180° and 360°.
Does a 187° angle have a complement or supplement?
No. Complements add up to 90° and supplements to 180°, and 187° is already larger than both. What it does have is an explement (conjugate) of 173°, the angle that completes a full 360° circle.
How many radians is 187 degrees?
187° = 187π/180 radians ≈ 3.2638 rad. To convert degrees to radians, multiply by π/180: 187 × π/180 = 187π/180.
How do I measure a 187° angle on my screen?
Open the online protractor with 187° preset, or type 187 into its "Type an angle" box. You can then drag the arms onto your own lines to compare.
