The Secant Function In Trigonometry: Definition And Formula

Secant of a Circle

A line thatcontains a chord

The secant of a circle is a line that intersects the circle at two distinct points. It is different from a tangent, which only intersects the circle at one point.

In the context of trigonometry, the term secant is also used to refer to the reciprocal of the cosine function. The secant of an angle is the ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right triangle. It is represented by the abbreviation sec.

The formula for finding the secant of an angle is: sec(theta) = 1/cos(theta)

It is important to note that the secant function is undefined for values of theta where cosine is equal to zero, since division by zero is not allowed. This occurs at angles of 90 degrees and 270 degrees. In addition, the secant function is periodic with a period of 2π.

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