Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Prologue: Ahmes the Scribe, 1650 B.C. -- Recreational Mathematics in Ancient Egypt -- 1. Angles -- 2. Chords -- Plimpton 322: The Earliest Trigonometric Table? -- 3. Six Functions Come of Age -- Johann M�uller, alias Regiomontanus -- 4. Trigonometry Becomes Analytic -- Fran�cois Vi�ete -- 5. Measuring Heaven and Earth -- Abraham De Moivre -- 6. Two Theorems from Geometry -- 7. Epicycloids and Hypocycloids -- Maria Agnesi and Her ""Witch -- 8. Variations on a Theme by Gauss -- 9. Had Zeno Only Known This! -- 10. (sin x)/x

Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on May 06, 2020).

A fun, entertaining exploration of the ideas and people behind the growth of trigonometryTrigonometry has a reputation as a dry, difficult branch of mathematics, a glorified form of geometry complicated by tedious computation. In Trigonometric Delights, Eli Maor dispels this view. Rejecting the usual descriptions of sine, cosine, and their trigonometric relatives, he brings the subject to life in a compelling blend of history, biography, and mathematics. From the proto-trigonometry of the Egyptian pyramid builders and the first true trigonometry developed by Greek astronomers, to the epicycles and hypocycles of the toy Spirograph, Maor presents both a survey of the main elements of trigonometry and a unique account of its vital contribution to science and social growth. A tapestry of stories, curiosities, insights, and illustrations, Trigonometric Delights irrevocably changes how we see this essential mathematical discipline.

IEEE IEEE Xplore Princeton University Press eBooks Library