what does 'secant' mean ?

[buzzc152]

Just a very quick question for you.

What does 'secant' mean ?

Thanks

[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]

1/cosine e.g. sec x = 1/cos x

[newswatcher]

I thought it was an insect which was not feeling well!

[Flash2001]

Yeah

Also a straight line drawn so as to cut a circle at 2 points. As the 2 points approach one another, the secant tends towards a tangent.

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

On a Mercator chart, the scale expands as the secant of the latitude.

You use it to calculte the scale at a latitude, eg the scale at 60 deg S is the scale at the equator x the secant of 60 deg, (which is 2). In this case if the scale at the equator was 1/500 000 the scale at 60S would be 1/500 000 x 2 = 1/250 000

Amazing what you remember 10 years after doing the exam...still as clear as mud

[lomapaseo]

Also a straight line drawn so as to cut a circle at 2 points. As the 2 points approach one another, the secant tends towards a tangent.

Unh.... whats a chord then?

Also from above, as the two points approach one another the secant also tends towards a radial, which really depends on how many angels can fit in between the two points.

[Flash2001]

Chord

Is the line segment of the secant within the circle. A line segment drawn from the centre to a point on the periphery is, of course, a radius.

After an excellent landing, you can use the airplane again.

[Knold]

I'd use the insect theory if I was you, probably more useful anyway. :p

[redsnail]

How many angles can dance on the head of a pin?

[sky9]

Try this, animated maths

http://www.math.umn.edu/~garrett/qy/Secant.html
:)

[lomapaseo]

Try this, animated maths

I was impressed, but noted that the animation ended prematurely before the points had merged.

Had the points actually merged and squashed all angels/angles than my argument for a radial could still be made :)

[hobie]

here's a more colourfull definition .....

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Secant.html

cheers ......