Finding sin and cos without using calculator

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    Calculator Cos Sin
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods to calculate the sine and cosine functions without using a calculator. Participants explore various mathematical approaches, including series expansions and geometric interpretations, while considering the practicality and accuracy of these methods.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose using Taylor series expansions for sine and cosine, noting that these series work well for values of x near 0.
  • There is a suggestion that while Taylor series can be used, evaluating them without a calculator may become tedious as more terms are added.
  • One participant questions whether a calculator function is necessary to evaluate Taylor series, suggesting that calculators do not typically use this method for trigonometric functions.
  • Another participant introduces a geometric method involving drawing a triangle to find sine and cosine based on the ratios of sides.
  • A later reply mentions the relationship between sine and cosine functions and the exponential function, suggesting that they can be derived from the real and imaginary parts of the series expansion of \( e^{iz} \).

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the practicality of using Taylor series for calculating sine and cosine, with some emphasizing its tediousness without a calculator, while others suggest alternative methods such as geometric approaches. No consensus is reached on the best method to use.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the convergence speed of Taylor series and the potential complexity of evaluating them without additional calculator functions. The discussion also reflects varying levels of familiarity with mathematical concepts among participants.

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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