Some Quaint & Curious & Almost Forgotten

Trig Functions
#80 of Gottschalks Gestalts

A Series Illustrating Innovative Forms

of the Organization & Exposition
of Mathematics
by Walter Gottschalk

Infinite Vistas Press

PVD RI
2002
GG80-1 (25)

 2002 Walter Gottschalk

500 Angell St #414
Providence RI 02906
permission is granted without charge
to reproduce & distribute this item at cost
for educational purposes; attribution requested;
no warranty of infallibility is posited
GG80-2

six related trigonometric functions,

antiquated & quaint & curious,
that are primarily of historical interest,
with some still sometimes somewhat useful

let
A angle
then
the versed sine of A
= ab the versine of A
= dn vers A
= rd ver - sine A
= verse A
= df 1 - cos A
wh
versine versed sine
vers versine
versed = turned
GG80-3

 the coversed sine of A

= the versed cosine of A
= ab the coversine of A
= dn covers A
= rd koh - ver - sine A
= koh - verse A
= df 1 - sin A
wh
coversed sine versed sine of complement
coversine coversed sine
covers coversine
note that
the versed sine of A
= 1 - cos A
&
the versed cosine of A
= 1 - sin A

GG80-4

 half of the versed sine of A

= half of the versine of A
= ab haversine of A
= dn havers A
= hav A
= rd hav - er - sine A
= hav - erse A
= have A
1
= df
vers A
2
1
=
(1 - cos A)
2
wh
haversine half of versine
havers haversine
hav haversine

GG80-5

 half of the coversed sine of A

= half of the versed cosine of A
= half of the coversine of A
= ab hacoversine of A
= dn hacovers A
= rd hack - o - ver - sine A
= hack - o - verse A
1
= df
covers A
2
1
= (1 - sin A )
2
wh
hacoversine half of coversine
hacovers hacoversine

GG80-6

 the external secant of A

= ab the exsecant of A
= dn exsec A
= rd ecks - see - cant A
= ecks - seck A
= df sec A - 1
wh
exsecant external secant
exsec exsecant

GG80-7

 the external cosecant of A

= ab the excosecant of A
= dn excsc A
= rd ecks - koh - see - cant A
= ecks - koh - seck A
= df csc A - 1
wh
excosecant external cosecant
excsc excosecant

GG80-8

some identities involving these trig fcns

A
vers A = 1 - cos A = 2 sin
2
2

covers A = 1 - sin A
havers A =

1
A
(1 - cos A) = sin 2
2
2

hacovers A =

1
(1 - sin A)
2

exsec A = sec A - 1
excsc A = cscA - 1

GG80-9

 vers A = 2 havers A
covers A = 2covers A
1
havers A = vers A
2
hacovers A =

1
covers A
2

exsec A = sec A vers A

excsc A = csc A covers A

GG80-10

 = covers A
vers A
= vers A
covers A
= hacovers A
havers A
= havers A
hacovers A
= excsc A
exsec A
= exsec A
excsc A
wh

A
= rd comp A = A comp
= df the complement of A
comp complement
note the overscript suggests
a right angle opening downward
GG80-11

 vers A = 2 - vers A
covers A = covers A
havers A = 1 - havers A
hacovers A = hacovers A
exsec A = - 2 - exsec A
excsc A = excosec A
wh
A
= rd sup A = A sup
= df the supplement of A
sup supplement
note the overscript suggests
a straight angle
GG80-12

 vers ( - A ) = vers A
covers ( - A) = 2 - covers A
havers ( - A ) = havers A
hacovers ( - A) = 1 - hacovers A
exsec ( - A ) = exsec A
excsc ( - A ) = - 2 - excsc A

GG80-13

 vers A 0
covers A 0
havers A 0
hacovers A 0

G80-14

the haversine formula

for the angles of a plane triangle

hav A =

(s - b)(s - c)
bc

& cyclically

the haversine formula

for the angles of a spherical triangle
hav A
sin (s - b) sin(s - c)
=
sin b sin c
hav a - hav (b - c)
=
sin b sin c
= hav [ p - ( B + C) ] + sin B sin C hav a
& cyclically
GG80-15

the haversine formula

for the sides of a spherical triangle
hav a = hav ( b - c) + sin b sin c hav A
& cyclically
note: this formula may be used to find
the great - circle distance and the bearing
between two positions on the Earth' s surface
once their latitude & longitude are known

GG80-16

in times gone by
viz
in the 18th & the 19th & the early part of the 20th
centuries
these trig functions
were used rather frequently
in geography & in marine navigation;
even today you may see
some appearance of some of them
& not only in matters involving
the history of mathematics

GG80-17

a study of the following

labeled diagrams
will reveal reasons for
the designations of the four trig functions
the versed sine of A
= vers A
= 1 - cos A
the coversed sine of A
= covers A
= 1 - sin A
the exsecant of A
= exsec A
= sec A - 1
the excosecant of A
= excsc A
= csc A - 1
GG80-18

etymology
sinus rectus (Latin, historical term)
= vertical sine
= sine
sinus versus (Latin, historical term)
= versed sine
= sine turned on its side
= versine
coversine
= versine of complement
exsecant
= external part of the secant
excosecant
= external part of the cosecant

GG80-19

sin A

cos A

GG80-20

vers A

covers A

sin A
A
1

GG80-21

exsec A

sec A

A
A
11

GG80-22

A
1

csc A

GG80-23

excsc A


A
A

GG80-24

identify the line segments

representing ie whose lengths are

sin A = cos A

cos A = sin A

tan A = cot A

cot A = tan A

sec A = csc A

csc A = sec A

vers A = covers A

covers A = vers A

exsec A = excsc A

excsc A = exsec A

GG80-25