arc tangent
1
7.9
- noun
- /ɑrk ˈtænɡənt/
- Specialized
:
arcotangente
- To calculate the angle, you need to compute the arc tangent of the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side.
Examples
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In trigonometry, the arc tangent function is used to find the angle when given the tangent value.
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So we have the arc tangent of X is equal to.
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You can use arc tangent here and solve for delta.
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Here we're calculating this length in Y over this length in X and taking the arc tangent of it.
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The arc tangent of a number helps determine the angle in a right triangle.
Synonyms
1
6.5
A math function that gives the angle whose tangent equals a number
The angle whose tangent is a given number
An angle whose tangent equals a given number
Surface Forms
Morphology
While the constituent 'tangent' clearly ties the term to the trigonometric function, the use of 'arc' to signal the inverse function is a specialized mathematical convention rather than the common noun sense 'curved shape'. An average B1 learner who knows the literal meanings of 'arc' and 'tangent' would probably not infer 'arctangent = the inverse of tangent' without prior exposure to math terminology, so the relation is partially transparent but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Arc tangent comes from a simple picture of a circle: a tangent is a straight line that just touches the circle, and an arc is the curved part of the circle that shows an angle. One easy way to remember it is this — if you know how steep the line is, the arc tangent 'finds the angle' on the circle that matches that steepness.