Secant (Noun)

Meaning ¹

Ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle.

Classification

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas.

Examples

• The secant of an angle in a right-angled triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to the length of the adjacent side.
• In trigonometry, the secant of an angle is used to calculate the length of the hypotenuse when the length of the adjacent side is known.
• To calculate the secant of an angle, divide the length of the hypotenuse by the length of the adjacent side.
• The secant of 60 degrees is equal to 2, since the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to the length of the adjacent side is 2:1.
• The secant of an angle can be used in combination with other trigonometric ratios to solve complex problems in geometry and engineering.

Synonyms

• Sec

Hypernyms

• Circular Function

Meaning ²

A straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points.

Classification

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes.

Examples

• The secant is used in calculus to approximate the tangent line at a given point on a curve.
• The chord of a circle is a special case of a secant that intersects the circle at two distinct points.
• The secant line is a powerful tool in geometry for solving problems involving intersecting curves.
• A secant of a circle can also be defined as a line that intersects the circle at two distinct points.
• The word secant can refer specifically to a segment of a line that intersects a curve, but still retains its broader meaning as a straight line.