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Trigonometry Redefined without Sines And Cosines

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the numbers-and-stuff dept.

Spy der Mann writes "Dr. Norman Wildberger, of the South Wales University, has redefined trigonometry without the use of sines, cosines, or tangents. In his book about Rational Trigonometry (sample PDF chapter), he explains that by replacing distance and angles with new concepts: quadrance, and spread, one can express trigonometric problems with simple algebra and fractional numbers. Is this the beginning of a new era for math?"

23 of 966 comments (clear)

  1. No sines and cosines? by Joey+Patterson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps Dr. Wildberger is trying to take geometry off on a weird tangent.

    1. Re:No sines and cosines? by multipartmixed · · Score: 2, Funny

      My teachers would accept answers like "sqrt(c)" (except written with the square-root symbol).

      Rumour has it that one year a freshman ran out of time on a trig exam, stuck on the first question, trying to write out the square root of two..

      --

      Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
    2. Re:No sines and cosines? by Darth_Burrito · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, when Dr. Wilberger explained his great idea to his close circle of friends. They were all in a chord.

    3. Re:No sines and cosines? by Darth_Burrito · · Score: 4, Funny

      After spending several hours trying to explain his theorem to his wife, he determined secant understand it. Ok, I'm stretching....

    4. Re:No sines and cosines? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Don't make me get all non-euclidian on your ass!

    5. Re:No sines and cosines? by biryokumaru · · Score: 4, Funny

      A mathematician was trying to explain something to someone who isn't a mathematician? Of cosecant!

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    6. Re:No sines and cosines? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's irrational :P

    7. Re:No sines and cosines? by shokk · · Score: 4, Funny

      He even has the positive testimonial of Barbie, who now claims "math is easy."

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
    8. Re:No sines and cosines? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I like Sohcahtoa. I thought it was fitting that they put her on that gold quarter coin a few years back. I wonder why we don't see those anymore?

    9. Re:No sines and cosines? by abb3w · · Score: 2, Funny
      So, is this collection of puns now a hyperbolic cotangent?

      --
      //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
  2. Now ... by LordKaT · · Score: 3, Funny

    If only he could redefine Calculus to use simple algebraic expressions.

    1. Re:Now ... by don.pratt · · Score: 2, Funny
      Once you know this, then integration and derivation of all sin/cos and derived functions boils down to algebra and derivation and integration of e, which is trivial.

      I have a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too small to contain.

    2. Re:Now ... by Qwertie · · Score: 1, Funny

      So sines and cosines are nothing more than raising 2.718281828459045235360287471352662497757247093699 95 to an imaginary power? If only I'd known earlier! It makes trig so much simpler and clearer! Duh!

  3. The method doesn't matter, as long as the answer by PtrToNull · · Score: 3, Funny

    is 42

  4. Figures. by Musteval · · Score: 5, Funny

    He does this the year after I take Algebra II/Trig. Bastard.

    --
    Note to mods: I'm probably being sarcastic.
  5. anybody remember the chant: SOH CAH TOA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My high school math teacher used to march around class chanting SOH CAH TOA, SOH CAH TOA, SOH CAH TOA!
    (and now, thirty years later I still remember)
    Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse (SOH)
    Cosine = Adjacent over Hypotenuse (CAH)
    Tangent = Opposite over Adjacent (TOA)
    (when dealing with right-angle triangles)

    TDz.

  6. Re:New meanings from now on.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    HAHA!!! You are not funny.

  7. Re:Why are there 360 degrees? by Skirwan · · Score: 2, Funny

    There are 360 degrees in a circle because there are 365 (point whatever) days in a year. The ancient Greeks were more primitive than we are today; lacking computers, they couldn't manage a simple off-by-one error, and had to fall back on the less sophisticated off-by-five-and-a-long-decimal error.

  8. Bah!! by doi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now THESE are some divine proportions.

    --
    A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's an erection for?
  9. Re:Don't worry... by eweu · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't be so sure. Chief Sohcahtoa helped me figure out how long my Christmas lights need to be to fit along my roof line. Thanks Chief!

  10. Re:UNSW .. not South Wales by zaguar · · Score: 2, Funny

    You must be new here.

    --
    "Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
  11. But if you graduate at Dr. Wilberger's group... by kanweg · · Score: 3, Funny

    you still get a degree!

    Bert

  12. Re:Distance-squared and dx/ds, dy/ds by Woodham · · Score: 2, Funny
    I can remember and do SohCahToa, but that was close to the limit of my knowledge of trig.

    Sex On Hard Concrete Always Hurts, Try Other Arrangements.

    That's how my maths teacher said to remember it.

    It worked really well for some reason...