Finding sin and cos without using calculator

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on methods to calculate sine and cosine values without a calculator, specifically using Taylor series expansions. The Taylor series for sine is defined as sin(x) = x - x^3/3! + x^5/5! - ... and for cosine as cos(x) = 1 - x^2/2! + x^4/4! - ..., which are effective for values of x near 0. While these series can provide accurate results, they may become tedious to compute manually as more terms are added. Additionally, it is noted that calculators typically use more efficient algorithms than Taylor series for evaluating these trigonometric functions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Taylor series and their convergence properties
  • Basic knowledge of trigonometric functions and their definitions
  • Familiarity with calculus concepts, particularly derivatives and factorials
  • Ability to perform arithmetic operations with fractions and series
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the convergence rates of Taylor series for trigonometric functions
  • Explore alternative algorithms used in calculators for sine and cosine calculations, such as CORDIC
  • Learn about the geometric interpretation of sine and cosine using right triangles
  • Investigate the use of complex numbers in calculating trigonometric functions
USEFUL FOR

Students, mathematicians, and educators interested in manual methods for calculating trigonometric functions, as well as those looking to deepen their understanding of Taylor series and numerical methods in mathematics.

Emmanuel_Euler
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Hi everyone.
i think this is my last thread on PF:frown:!
because i am too busy,anyway,
4 months ago i posted a thread named it finding cube roots without using calculator and now i want to know if there is a way or method to find sin and cos without using calculator.
And thanks to all who helped me in all of my questions.
 
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You can get as close as you want by using a Taylor series.

\sin(x) = x - \frac{x^3}{3!} + \frac{x^5}{5!} - \ ...

\cos(x) = 1 - \frac{x^2}{2!} + \frac{x^4}{4!} - \ ...

This works well for x near 0. Just cut it off at however many terms you want depending on how accurate you want it. You could use a more general form for the functions starting at any x = a, but given their periodicity, it seems the simplified would work fine. The only issue then is adding up some fractions.
 
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axmls said:
You can get as close as you want by using a Taylor series.

\sin(x) = x - \frac{x^3}{3!} + \frac{x^5}{5!} - \ ...

\cos(x) = 1 - \frac{x^2}{2!} + \frac{x^4}{4!} - \ ...

This works well for x near 0. Just cut it off at however many terms you want depending on how accurate you want it. You could use a more general form for the functions starting at any x = a, but given their periodicity, it seems the simplified would work fine. The only issue then is adding up some fractions.
Maybe you can use a Taylor series to evaluate a trig function without pressing the sin x or cos x keys on a calculator, but I think actually evaluating the Taylor series without using the other calculator functions will get a bit tedious, especially as you add more terms to the evaluation.
 
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SteamKing said:
Maybe you can use a Taylor series to evaluate a trig function without pressing the sin x or cos x keys on a calculator, but I think actually evaluating the Taylor series without using the other calculator functions will get a bit tedious, especially as you add more terms to the evaluation.
should i have a Calculator function to evaluate taylor series??
 
Emmanuel_Euler said:
should i have a Calculator function to evaluate taylor series??
No. And your calculator wouldn't use Taylor series to calculate the value of sin x or cos x, either. The Taylor series is slow to converge, and calculators with built-in trig functions use different methods to calculate their values.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORDIC
 
What came to my mind when you said that was draw out a triangle with the angle you want to measure and then divide the hypothenuse by the adjacent for cos and the opposite for sin??
 
This is similar to what SteamKing wrote. The ##\cos z## and ##\sin z## functions respectively are just real and imaginary parts of ##e^{iz}##. We can calculate the sine and cosine functions (in radians) by calculating the real and imaginary parts of the series,

\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} {\frac{(-1)^{\frac{n}{2}} z^n}{n!}}
 
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