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Glite Dictionary
cotan

cotan

9.9
A number found by dividing the side next to an angle by the side opposite it in a right triangle
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊtæn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cotangente
  • The graph of the cotan function has vertical asymptotes where the tangent is zero.

Examples

  • You can use cotan to solve for unknown sides in a right triangle.

  • The cotan of 45 degrees is 1.

  • In trigonometry, the cotan of an angle is the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side.

  • In trigonometry, the cotan function is crucial.

  • In a right triangle, the cotan of an angle is equal to the length of the adjacent side divided by the length of the opposite side.

  • To find the cotan of a 30-degree angle, you divide the length of the side next to the angle by the length of the side opposite it.

  • In trigonometry, the cotan function is useful for solving problems involving right-angled triangles.

Synonyms

cotangent
vscotan
  • Specialized
1 9.7

A number from dividing the side next to an angle by the side opposite it in a right triangle

is the same meaning but presented as a shorter variant spelling
ctg
vscotan
  • Specialized
9.9

A math function that divides the side next to an angle by the side opposite it

is the full word form used instead of an abbreviated symbol

Surface Forms

cotan singular
cotans plural

Etymology

Cotan comes from cotangent, where co- means 'complement' and tangent is a common math word. So cotan is like the tangent of the other angle, which is why cotan is 'one divided by' the tangent and gives the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side.