cosine
[kō′sīn′]
noun
the reciprocal of the secant; specif.
- the ratio of the adjacent side of a given acute angle in a right triangle to the hypotenuse
- an equivalent, positive or negative ratio for certain related angles (Ex.: the cosine of 57° or 303° is .5446, of 123° or 237° is -.5446) or real numbers representing radians (Ex.: cosine of .9948 radians (57°) is .5446)
Origin: ModL < co. sinus, short for complementi sinus, lit., sine of the complement
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
noun Abbr. cos
- In a right triangle, the ratio of the length of the side adjacent to an acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
- The abscissa at the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative.
cosine
cos Θ= b/c
cosine - Computer Definition
See sine.
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cosine - Science Definition
- The ratio of the length of the side adjacent to an acute angle of a right triangle to the length of the hypotenuse.
- The abscissa of the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative.
- A function of a number x, equal to the cosine of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.
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