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In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle.The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is opposite that angle to the length of the longest side of the triangle (the hypotenuse), and the cosine is the ratio of the length of the adjacent leg to that ...
Trigonometry (from Ancient Greek τρίγωνον (trígōnon) 'triangle' and μέτρον (métron) 'measure') [1] is a branch of mathematics concerned with relationships between angles and side lengths of triangles.
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.
The oldest and most elementary definitions are based on the geometry of right triangles and the ratio between their sides. The proofs given in this article use these definitions, and thus apply to non-negative angles not greater than a right angle. For greater and negative angles, see Trigonometric functions.
Fig. 1 – A triangle. The angles α (or A), β (or B), and γ (or C) are respectively opposite the sides a, b, and c.. In trigonometry, the law of cosines (also known as the cosine formula or cosine rule) relates the lengths of the sides of a triangle to the cosine of one of its angles.
Signs of trigonometric functions in each quadrant. All Students Take Calculus is a mnemonic for the sign of each trigonometric functions in each quadrant of the plane. The letters ASTC signify which of the trigonometric functions are positive, starting in the top right 1st quadrant and moving counterclockwise through quadrants 2 to 4.
Or, "the arc whose cosine is x" is the same as "the angle whose cosine is x", because the length of the arc of the circle in radii is the same as the measurement of the angle in radians. [5] In computer programming languages, the inverse trigonometric functions are often called by the abbreviated forms asin , acos , atan .
Sine and cosine are each other's cofunctions. In mathematics, a function f is cofunction of a function g if f(A) = g(B) whenever A and B are complementary angles (pairs that sum to one right angle). [1] This definition typically applies to trigonometric functions. [2] [3] The prefix "co-" can be found already in Edmund Gunter's Canon ...