Chap. I. PLANE TRIGONOMETRY.

297
cutanjieiit, and cosecant form a right-angled triangle CDL. All these right-angled triangles
are similar to each other.
1046. The sine, tangent, or secant of an angle is tlie
sine, tangent, or secant of the arc by which the angle is
measured, or of the degrees. &c. in the same arc or angle.
The method of constructing the scales of chords, sine.s,
tangents, and secants engraved on mathematical instru-
ments is shown in the annexed figure.
1047. A trigonometrical canon
{fig.
.396.) is a table
wherein is given tlie length of the sine, tangent, and
secant to every degree and minute of the (|uadrant,
compared with the radius, which is expressed by imity
or 1 with any number of ciphers. The logarithms, more-
over, of these sines, tangents, and secants, are tabulated, so
that trigonometrial calculations are performed by only
addition and subtraction. 'I'ables of this sort are pub-
lished separately, and we su])posj the reader to be pro-
vided wit'i them.
1048. Problem I. To compute the 7iatural sine and cosine
of
a given arc.
The semiperiphery of a circle whose radius is ] is
known to be 3-141592653589793, &c. : we have then the
following proportion :

As the number of degrees or minutes in the semicircle

Is to the degrees or minutes in the proposed arc,
0 is 3'14159265, &c. to the length of the said arc.
Fig. 396.
Now the length of the arc baing denated by the letter n. and its sine and cosine by s and c,
these two will be expressed by the two following series, viz.
+ &C.
rTfi + &C.
2 ' 24 720"
Example 1. Let it be required to find the sine and cosine of one minute. The number
of minutes in 180 degrees being 10800, it will be, first, as lOSOO ; 1 : :3-I4159265. &c :
(0029O888208665=the length of an arc of one minute. Hence, in this case,

a= -0002908882
and ^a:' = 000000000004
The difference is s= -0002908882, the sine of one minute.
Also from L
take
ia2
=0-0000000423079,
&c.
leaves c= -9999999577, the cosine of one minute.
Example 2. For the sine and cosine of 5 degrees :
Here
180''-'
: 5^:, 3-14159265, &c.
: -08726646 =a, the length of 5 degrees-
Hence a= -08726646
|a3= -0001 1076
+
jLja^ = -00000004
These collected give
=
-0871 5574, the sine of 5 degrees.
And for the cosine
1=1-
4aa= -00380771
+ ^4= -00000241
These collected give c = -99619470, the cosine of 5 degrees.
In the sarue way we find the sines and cosines of other arcs may be computed. The
greater the arc the slower the series will converge ; so that more terms must be taken to
make the calculation exact. Having, however, the sine, the cosine may be found from it
by the property of the right-angled triangle CBF, viz. the cosine CF
or c \/l

'
There are other methods of constructing tables, but we think it imneci.-ssary
to mention them
; our sole object being here merely to give a notion of the mode by
which such tables are formed.