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- à 0.1ïThe Origins of Trigonometry
-
- äïPlease answer the following questions about the origins
- of trigonometry.
- âïWhat is the meaning of the word "trigonometry?"
-
- êThe word trigonometry comes from a combination of three
- êGreek words meaning "three-angle measurement."
- éSïThe word trigonometry comes from a combination of three Greek
- words meaning "three-angle measurement."ïPitiscus, a man of German
- nationality, is credited with first using this word as the title of
- his book written in 1595.ïSome beginnings of trigonometry, however, can
- be traced back to ancient times in countries such as Egypt and Babylon.
- The first person generally thought to have organized this area of
- mathematics into one body of work is the Greek, Hipparchus.ïThis was
- done in the second century B.C., yet none of his papers remain.
- Another treatment of this area of mathematics does exist, however,
- and was written by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, in the second cen-
- tury A.D.
- è The first applications of trigonometry were primarily in the field
- of astronomy in the early centuries.ïLater ç same methods of
- measuring distances and angles across voids of space were applied to
- many physical problems including navigation, surveying, and other vector
- applications.ïIn more recent times, analytic trigonometry has be-
- come an important part of many applications found in the study of
- calculus and in differential equations.
- è In this program we will take the historical approach to trigono-
- metry.ïThe "zero chapter" provides a review of all the background
- information about triangles from plane geometry that you will need
- in order to solve triangles.ïSolving triangles means to find the
- lengths of all the sides and the measures of all the angles.ïWe will
- look first at solving some special triangles, then the general solu-
- tion of right triangles, and finally the solution of arbitrary oblique
- triangles.ïWe will then begin analytic trigonometry by graphing the
- trigonometric functions of any angle.ïThis will be followed by graphs
- of the inverse trigonometric functions.ïProving identities, solving
- vector problems, working in the polar coordinate system, and finding
- the trigonometric form of complex numbers will be covered.ïThere will
- also be a comprehensive treatment of applications throughout the ma-
- terial.
- 1
- êèThe man first credited with using the word trigonometry
- êèis ___________________.
-
- êèA)ïPtolemyêêè B)ïHipparchus
- êèC)ïPitiscusêêèD)ïPythagorus
- üêêê Pitiscus
- Ç C
- 2
- êèWho is the person generally credited with first organizing
- êèthis area of mathematics into one body of work?
-
- êèA)ïPtolemyêêè B)ïHipparchus
- êèC)ïPitiscusêêèD)ïPythagorus
- üêêê Hipparchus
- Ç B
- 3
- êèWhich Greek astronomer wrote the first treatment of trigo-
- êènometry that still exists today?
-
- êèA)ïPtolemyêêè B)ïHipparchus
- êèC)ïPitiscusêêèD)ïPythagorus
- üêêê Ptolemy
- Ç A
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