Are SEC and CSC functions only used in English?

[A_I_]

hello everyone,
well my story is a bit complicated..
since I've entered school i was french educated,
now I'm in my last year and I'm moving to an english school
and I'm in the field GS (general sciences)
the reason for moving schools is that I'm traveling to Canada next year
to study "astrophysics"..

anyway my question is:
when i was looking at the trigonometry chapter,
i noticed the SEC and the CSC functions
which i discovered their meanings: secx= 1/cosx
and cscx= 1/sinx

and i was astonished because there's no SEC and CSC in french.
i asked grade 11 students in english schools, they told me that they know it
and i asked french educated students in grade 12.. but they don't know it.

are these functions only used in english?

thanks for any help
joe

 

[arildno]

Welcome to PF!
These function-names are also used in Scandinavia, and in Germany as well, I believe.

 

[devious_]

And in all the Arabic countries.

 

[A_I_]

thankss

thanks,
you were so cooperative

regards,
joe

 

[A_I_]

im sorry

And in all the Arabic countries.

i live in lebanon (arabic country)

and we don't use them.

 

[Muzza]

These function-names are also used in Scandinavia, and in Germany as well, I believe.

They are pretty much non-existant in Sweden.

 

[arildno]

They are pretty much non-existant in Sweden.

Hmm..the Swedes always have their own, strange incomprehensible ways of doing things..

 

[A_I_]

?

it's so wierd

it's all about contradictions

 

[A_I_]

anyway i would like to talk with experts about maths..
maybe get their help sometimes..

my msn address is:

a1r7t0i6f1i9c8i7a1l7i0n6t1e9l8l7i1g7e0n6c1e@hotmail.com


joe

 

[Muzza]

Hmm..the Swedes always have their own, strange incomprehensible ways of doing things..

Ah yes, writing 1/cos(x) instead of sec(x) is incomprehensible for you feeble-minded Norwegians...

;)

 

[arildno]

Ah yes, writing 1/cos(x) instead of sec(x) is incomprehensible for you feeble-minded Norwegians...

;)

FEEBLE-MINDED??
WE ARE MASTERS OF BOTH TECHNIQUES; BESIDES, YOU HAVEN'T GOT ANY OIL OR MERCHANT FLEET TO SPEAK OF!

 

[Muzza]

WE ARE MASTERS OF BOTH TECHNIQUES

You just said that "our" way was "incomprehensible". How typically Norwegian, you're all like John Kerry.

YOU HAVEN'T GOT ANY OIL OR MERCHANT FLEET TO SPEAK OF!

At least we don't speak as odd as you do, era jäkla brusefåtöljer.

:P

 

[arildno]

brusefåtøljer??

 

[Muzza]

Legend has it that brusefåtölj ("noisy chair", I suppose) is Norwegian for "toilet" (yes, I know it's not true).

 

[arildno]

Legend has it that brusefåtölj ("noisy chair", I suppose) is Norwegian for "toilet" (yes, I know it's not true).

Is this some kind of strange, Swedish compliment

After all, as is well known, Swedes still dump their bodily refuse in their backyards..

 

[Integral]

Where's the Dane to complete this Scandinavian insult session?

It never occurred to me that the Sec and Csc, which are pretty rarely used BTW, were not universal!

 

[matt grime]

I've a surname of Scandinavian descent, can I join in? However the only things I knew how to say in Danish was "hard boiled egg" (and some isolated words from Peter Hoeg novels), and I've forgotten that. You'd have to be incredibly thin skinned to find that insulting.

 

[A_I_]

lol.. we are talking about trigs
don't forget ! :P

 

[modmans2ndcoming]

ah but

i live in lebanon (arabic country)

and we don't use them.

Lebanon has a French influence :-)

 

[Tide]

Wasn't the Scandinavian Trigva Lie the first Secretary General of the U.N.? ;-)

 

[HallsofIvy]

Not to mention that Lie itself is a wonderful mathematics name. Any relation to Sophus Lie?

 

[arildno]

Not to mention that Lie itself is a wonderful mathematics name. Any relation to Sophus Lie?

No; Lie is a Norwegian surname about as common as Hill in English
(Lie means, BTW, "hill/hillside")