Can someone tell my what cos, sin and tan actually measure?

Question

Can someone tell my what cos, sin and tan actually measure?

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

First let’s explain radiants. Just like degrees, radiants are a measure of angle. When you think of a unit circle (a circle with radius 1) the length along the edge of the circle is equal to the angle in radiants for that slice of the circle. So we know the circumference of a unit circle is 2π so 360° is 2π radiants, 180° is half a circle so π radiants, 90° covers a quarter of the circle so ½ π radiants, etc.

sin(t) is the Y value of rotating around a unit circle counterclockwise starting at (0,1) by t radiants.

cos(t) is the X value of rotating around a unit circle counterclockwise starting at (0,1) by t radiants.

tan(t) = sin(t)/cos(t)