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Ptolemy's theorem states that the sum of the products of the lengths of opposite sides is equal to the product of the lengths of the diagonals. When those side-lengths are expressed in terms of the sin and cos values shown in the figure above, this yields the angle sum trigonometric identity for sine: sin(α + β) = sin α cos β + cos α sin β.
This complex exponential function is sometimes denoted cis x ("cosine plus i sine"). The formula is still valid if x is a complex number, and is also called Euler's formula in this more general case. [1] Euler's formula is ubiquitous in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering.
For example, the sine of angle θ is defined as being the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the hypotenuse. The six trigonometric functions are defined for every real number , except, for some of them, for angles that differ from 0 by a multiple of the right angle (90°).
Euler's formula for a general angle. Euler's identity is a special case of Euler's formula, which states that for any real number x, = + where the inputs of the trigonometric functions sine and cosine are given in radians. In particular, when x = π,
The sine and the cosine functions, for example, are used to describe simple harmonic motion, which models many natural phenomena, such as the movement of a mass attached to a spring and, for small angles, the pendular motion of a mass hanging by a string. The sine and cosine functions are one-dimensional projections of uniform circular motion.
In trigonometry, the law of sines, sine law, sine formula, or sine rule is an equation relating the lengths of the sides of any triangle to the sines of its angles. According to the law, = = =, where a, b, and c are the lengths of the sides of a triangle, and α, β, and γ are the opposite angles (see figure 2), while R is the radius of the triangle's circumcircle.
Using Euler's formula, any trigonometric function may be written in terms of complex exponential functions, namely and and then integrated. This technique is often simpler and faster than using trigonometric identities or integration by parts , and is sufficiently powerful to integrate any rational expression involving trigonometric functions.
Ptolemy used chord length to define his trigonometric functions, a minor difference from the sine convention we use today. [12] (The value we call sin(θ) can be found by looking up the chord length for twice the angle of interest (2θ) in Ptolemy's table, and then dividing that value by two.)