trigonometry

Definition

The branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between the sides and angles of (in particular) right-angled triangles, as represented by the trigonometric functions, and with calculations based on said relationships.

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From 1610s, from New Latin trigōnometria, from Ancient Greek τρίγωνον (trígōnon, “triangle”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to trigono- + -metry.

Example Sentences

• "Trigonometry emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BCE from applications of geometry to astronomy; the Greeks focused on the calculation of chords, while mathematicians in India created the earliest known tables of values for trigonometric functions such as sine."
• "Historically, trigonometry has been applied in areas such as geodesy, surveying, celestial mechanics and navigation."
• "Trigonometry was originally the science which treated only of the sides and angles of plane and spherical triangles; but it has been recently extended so as to include the analytic treatment of all theorems involving the consideration of angular magnitudes."

Related Words