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The theorem extends to the other trigonometric functions as well. [2] For rational values of θ, the only rational values of the sine or cosine are 0, ±1/2, and ±1; the only rational values of the secant or cosecant are ±1 and ±2; and the only rational values of the tangent or cotangent are 0 and ±1. [3]
The theorem is used to find all rational roots of a polynomial, if any. It gives a finite number of possible fractions which can be checked to see if they are roots. If a rational root x = r is found, a linear polynomial ( x – r ) can be factored out of the polynomial using polynomial long division , resulting in a polynomial of lower degree ...
In contrast, by the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem, the sine or cosine of any non-zero algebraic number is always transcendental. [4] The real part of any root of unity is a trigonometric number. By Niven's theorem, the only rational trigonometric numbers are 0, 1, −1, 1/2, and −1/2. [5]
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.
Trigonometry was still so little known in 16th-century northern Europe that Nicolaus Copernicus devoted two chapters of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium to explain its basic concepts. Driven by the demands of navigation and the growing need for accurate maps of large geographic areas, trigonometry grew into a major branch of mathematics. [ 27 ]
The Kissing Number Problem. A broad category of problems in math are called the Sphere Packing Problems. They range from pure math to practical applications, generally putting math terminology to ...
The uniqueness and the zeros of trigonometric series was an active area of research in 19th century Europe. First, Georg Cantor proved that if a trigonometric series is convergent to a function on the interval [,], which is identically zero, or more generally, is nonzero on at most finitely many points, then the coefficients of the series are all zero.
A trigonometric polynomial can be considered a periodic function on the real line, with period some divisor of , or as a function on the unit circle.. Trigonometric polynomials are dense in the space of continuous functions on the unit circle, with the uniform norm; [4] this is a special case of the Stone–Weierstrass theorem.