History of trigonometry

Trigonometry is a field of mathematics first compiled by 2nd century BCE by the Greek mathematician Hipparchus.The history of trigonometry and of trigonometric functions follows the general lines of the history of mathematics.

Early study of triangles can be traced to the 2nd millennium BC, in Egyptian mathematics (Rhind Mathematical Papyrus) and Babylonian mathematics.Systematic study of trigonometric functions begins in Hellenistic mathematics, reaching India as part of Hellenistic astronomy. In Indian astronomy, the study of trigonometric functions flowers in the Gupta period, especially due to Aryabhata (6th century). During the Middle Ages, the study of trigonometry is continued in Islamic mathematics, whence it is adopted as a separate subject in the Latin West beginning in the Renaissance with Regiomontanus.The development of modern trigonometry then takes place in the western Age of Enlightenment, beginning with 17th century mathematics (Isaac Newton, James Stirling) and reaching its modern form with Leonhard Euler (1748).

Etymology

The term "trigonometry" derives from the Greek "τριγωνομετρία" ("trigonometria"), meaning "triangle measuring", from "τρίγωνο" (triangle) + "μετρεῖν" (to measure).

Our modern word "sine", is derived from the Latin word sinus, which means "bay", "bosom" or "fold", translating Arabic jayb.The Arabic term is in...
Read More