Mathematical Principle
Use of the Mil-dot system is possible because it is concerned with small angles, and at small angles:
This allows a user to dispense with trigonometry and use simple ratios to determine size and distance with acceptable accuracy for rifle and short distance artillery calculations.
Since a radian is mathematically defined as the angle formed when the length of a circular arc equals the radius of the circle, a trigonometric milliradian (mrad), is the angle formed when the length of a circular arc equals 1/1000 of the radius of the circle. Since the radian expresses a ratio, it is independent of the units of length used.
Read more about this topic: Angular Mil
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