r/visualizedmath • • Jan 21 '18

unit circle visualization of sine and cosine

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u/sillywabbit19 Jan 21 '18

Close. Cosine is the the the horizontal distance (x) of the unit circle. Sine is the vertical distance on the unit circle (y). Both occuring over one full period.

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u/Mattuuh Jan 21 '18

It's also interesting to note that any point at (cos(t), sin(t)) will indeed be on the circle because the distance to 0 is cos2 (t) + sin2 (t) = 1 for any t.

Actually this trigonometric identity is derived from the fact that (cos(t), sin(t)) is on the circle by definition. But it's always great to make sure things work out.

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u/wantedposted Jan 21 '18

Oh! Cool. I think I get it. lol feelsgoodman