Can someone tell my what cos, sin and tan actually measure?
In: Mathematics
Explanations so far are very math-y…
From a mechanical/physical standpoint… (and maybe not strictly accurate but more tangible?)
If you have a vector (speed, force) in some direction, and a baseline reference direction you are interested in (e.g. due east, horizontal)…
The cosine tells you, based on the angle, what portion of your vector is going along your horizontal reference, and the sine is the component orthogonal (vertical in this case)
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