THE HISTORY OF PROTRACTOR

The protractor is one of the basic instruments

used in a geometry class. It is usually made of
transparent glass or transparent plastic. As far as
it is known, there is no other way to measure
angles other than using a protractor. The history
behind this instrument is quite interesting.
First real protractors were made more than five
hundred years ago. In a book named Briefe
Description of Universal Mappes & Cardes
written by Thomas Blundeville. The writer
described a tool specifically designed for
measuring angles and drawing them.
The author of that book used protractors for
map preparations and navigational charts.
Some other European mathematician also
wrote about angle measurement tools at the
same time, so it is unknown who invented it first.
By the 17th century, protractors were standard
tools for navigation used at sea by sailors. They
are also used for navigation at land. Joseph
Huddart designed more sophisticated versions
of protractor in 1810 for calculating ship position
at sea. This protractor was named three arm
protractor because it had a circular scale and
three arms. Two arms are rotatable, and one
central arm is fixed so protractor can set any
angle relative to the center arm.

By the eighteen century protractors were

widely used in geometry and mathematics, by
the 19th century, a lot of different versions of
protractors appeared and by the 20th century
the protractors became standard for school
mathematics.

Taken and adapted from: http://www.historyofpencils.com/drawing-tools/protractor/

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Types of Protractors

 Protractors can be made in various

shapes: most popular semi-circle, full
circle, square, rectangle, sixth circles or
quarter circles. Materials that protractors
are made of can be wood, ivory, plastic
or metal.

 Protractors can be used by mechanics or

engineers, but maybe the most common
use are in schools, in geometry classes.
Although the protractors are made to be
one-sided, it used to be a problem
because it confused new learners, so it is
much easier for them to have protractors
with both parts.

 The first two-sided protractor was

invented by Jake Adams, Musselburgh
Grammar School math teacher in 2009.
He named it “The Angler”.
Taken and adapted from: http://www.historyofpencils.com/drawing-tools/protractor/