Deriving the atan2 Function from Tangent Half-Angle Formulas

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on deriving the atan2 function using tangent half-angle formulas. The formula presented is atan2(y, x) = 2arctan(y / (√(x² + y²) + x)). By substituting y = r sin(θ) and x = r cos(θ), the expression simplifies to sin(θ) / (1 + cos(θ)). This leads to the conclusion that this expression equals tan(θ/2), confirming the derivation of the atan2 function. The derivation process is clarified and validated through these mathematical transformations.
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Hello, it is mentioned http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atan2#Definition" that using the tangent half-angle formulas it is possible to express the function atan2 as:

\mathrm{atan2}(y,x)=2\mathrm{arctan}\frac{y}{\sqrt{x^2+y^2}+x}

How can I derive this result?
 
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Put y = rsinθ, x = rcosθ, then y/(√(x2 + y2) + x) = sinθ/(1 + cosθ),

which you should be able to prove is tan(θ/2) :wink:
 
Thanks!
Now it´s clear where that formula came from.
 
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