Classical Physics

   

Proof that Angle is not Dimensionless Quantity

Authors: Seungtae Kim

In the current International System of Units (SI), it is conventionally assumed that rad=1, thereby treating angle as a dimensionless quantity. However, this convention presents a conceptual problem because of the relation sr=rad2, so that the fundamental physical distinction between solid angles and plane angles is blurred. In this paper, I revisited the nature of physical equations based on the principle of dimensional homogeneity and the mathematical properties of the dimensional analysis function, demonstrated that angle is a physical quantity possessing its own fundamental dimension which means angle must be treated as one of the base quantities. Furthermore, I showed that, from the perspective of dimensional analysis, the domain of trigonometric functions and the codomain of inverse trigonometric functions—being inherently numerical-value equations—must consist of θ=θ/rad when θ means angle. Finally, some well-known equations are reconsidered comprehensively for dimensional homogeneity.

Comments: 17 Pages. Typos and wrong formula were corrected. Keywords were added.

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Submission history

[v1] 2025-07-09 07:01:01
[v2] 2025-07-17 16:32:43
[v3] 2025-08-03 23:11:20

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