The trigonometric functions most widely used in modern mathematics are the sine, the cosine, and the tangent functions. Their reciprocals are respectively the cosecant, the secant, and the cotangent functions, which are less used.

In a right triangle, the secant of an angle is the length of the hypotenuse divided by the length of the adjacent side. In a formula, it is abbreviated to just 'sec'. Of the six possible trigonometric functions, secant, cotangent, and cosecant, are rarely used.

secant, one of the six trigonometric functions, which, in a right triangle ABC, for an angle A, is sec A = length of hypotenuse/ length of side adjacent angle A. (The other five trigonometric functions are sine [sin], cosine [cos], tangent [tan], cosecant [csc], and cotangent [cot].)

The secant function or sec function can be defined as the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to that of the length of the base in a right-angled triangle. What is Secant in terms of Cos? Secant function in terms of cos is written as sec x = 1 / cos x.

Secant, cosecant and cotangent, almost always written as sec, cosec and cot are trigonometric functions like sin, cos and tan. sec x = 1 cos x. cosec x = 1 sin x cot x = 1 = cos x tan x sin x. Note, sec x is not the same as cos-1 x (sometimes written as arccos x).

In trigonometry, the secant is a function that associates an angle α with the reciprocal of the cosine. It is denoted as sec and is expressed as: secα = 1 cosα sec α = 1 cos α. Geometrically, the secant (OB) is the point where the line (r), which is tangent at point P on the unit circle, intersects the x-axis.

Mar 7, 2025 · Trigonometry might seem tricky, but it’s everywhere! In everything from measuring angles in geometry to waves in physics. Three essential reciprocal trig functions— covered in 3.11 secant, cosecant, and cotangent functions—are used frequently in precalculus and calculus.