Trigonometry

What is Trigonometry?

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics focused on measuring the angles and sides of triangles using given information.

The word "trigonometry" comes from the Greek words "trigonos" (meaning triangle) and "métron" (meaning measure).

So, the meaning is quite straightforward: it’s the study of measuring triangles.

The History of Trigonometry

The origins of trigonometry are credited to the ancient Greeks, although early concepts can also be found in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Traditionally, Hipparchus of Nicaea, a Greek astronomer from Alexandria in the 2nd century BC, is regarded as the father of trigonometry. He was one of the first to study the lengths of chords in a unit circle.

The Greeks applied trigonometry extensively in their astronomical works, with one of the most notable being the Almagest, written by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD.

During the Middle Ages, Greek trigonometric texts were translated into Arabic, and in the 15th century, these Arabic versions were translated into Latin, bringing trigonometry to Europe.

Trigonometry Resources

• Sine
• Cosine
• Tangent
• Cotangent
• Arcsine
• Arccosine
• Arctangent
• Arccotangent
• Secant
• Cosecant