A 188° angle is reflex because it measures between 180° and 360°. It is the "outside" of a 172° angle: together they make a full 360° circle.
188° is 47/90 of a full circle, or 47π/45 radians. If you face north and turn 188° clockwise, you end up facing between S and SSW (closest to south (S)).
188° angle facts
| Angle type | Reflex angle (between 180° and 360°) |
|---|---|
| Explement (adds to 360°) | 172° |
| Radians | 47π/45 ≈ 3.281219 |
| Gradians | 208.8889 grad |
| Fraction of a turn | 47/90 (52.22%) |
| Degrees, minutes, seconds | 188° 0′ 0″ |
| Compass bearing | between S and SSW (closest to south (S)) |
Trigonometric values of 188°
| Function | Value |
|---|---|
| sin 188° | −0.139173 |
| cos 188° | −0.990268 |
| tan 188° | 0.140541 |
188° on a protractor
How to draw a 188° angle with a protractor
- Subtract from 360°: 360° − 188° = 172°. 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 172°.
- Join the vertex to the dot. The inside angle is 172°; the outside angle, going the long way around, is 188°. Draw the angle arc on the outside and label it 188°.
- With a 360° protractor you can skip the subtraction: put 0° on your first line and mark 188° directly.
Drawing it a 188° angle without a protractor (rise and run method)
- 188° = 180° − 8°. Draw a straight line, pick a vertex on it, and build an 8° angle on one side as follows; the angle on the other side of the new line is 172°.
- 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 1.41 inches (about 1 3/8″) up that line and make a mark.
- Join the mark to the vertex. The angle at the vertex is 8°, because tan 8° ≈ 0.1405.
- That gives you 172°. The outside (reflex) angle is 188°.
Where you see 188° angles
- The Earth turns 188° on its axis in about 12 h 32 min.
- A 188° 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
188° angle FAQ
What type of angle is 188°?
A 188° angle is a reflex angle, because it is between 180° and 360°.
Does a 188° angle have a complement or supplement?
No. Complements add up to 90° and supplements to 180°, and 188° is already larger than both. What it does have is an explement (conjugate) of 172°, the angle that completes a full 360° circle.
How many radians is 188 degrees?
188° = 47π/45 radians ≈ 3.2812 rad. To convert degrees to radians, multiply by π/180: 188 × π/180 = 47π/45.
How do I measure a 188° angle on my screen?
Open the online protractor with 188° preset, or type 188 into its "Type an angle" box. You can then drag the arms onto your own lines to compare.