How can I prove my calculator calculates a trigonometric function?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around verifying the output of the arctangent function on calculators, specifically whether it adheres to the expected range of outputs for the function. Participants explore the implications of different ranges and the behavior of calculators in calculating trigonometric functions, including the inverse tangent.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the arctangent function should output values in the range of ##[-\pi,\pi]##, while others argue it is actually ##(-\pi/2, \pi/2)##.
  • One participant questions the outputs of their calculator for specific values, such as ##\arctan{10000}## and ##\arctan{-10000}##, seeking clarification on the expected results.
  • There is mention of historical calculator bugs and errors that could affect the reliability of outputs, with references to specific known issues in calculators.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about how different calculators might be programmed, suggesting that the output could vary based on design.
  • One participant shares information from the documentation of their calculator, indicating that it specifies the angle unit and provides a range for results, but does not clarify the range for inverse trigonometric functions.
  • Another participant notes that the range for inverse trigonometric functions will not be ##[-\pi,\pi]##, but rather that outputs may depend on the angle unit selected.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the output range of the arctangent function across calculators, with multiple competing views presented regarding the expected ranges and behaviors of different devices.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the output range may depend on the angle unit specified (degrees, radians, or gradians) and that the behavior of calculators can vary based on their programming and design.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the functionality of scientific calculators, particularly in relation to trigonometric functions and their outputs, may find this discussion relevant.

mcastillo356
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TL;DR
One book I have states that any scientific calculator works with this function: ##\arctan:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{[-\pi,\pi]}##. I want to check it
Considering the measure of angles in radians, that are real numbers, the concept of of trigonometric function spreads to all real numbers. Any real number can be considered as an angle of the first circumference and a ##\mathbb{K}## number of circumferences.

We can consider the function ##\tan:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{\mathbb{R}}##. This function is not bijective, but if we consider, instead of ##\mathbb{R}##, ##[-\pi,\pi]## as the set origin (which is what scientific calculators make), then it is bijective, and it's possible to define the inverse function ##\arctan:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{[-\pi,\pi]}##

How can I check this function is which it works in my calculator?

Hope to have explained (and translated) well. I'm learning english, as you can clearly see. If it is not admissible, please delete it.

Greetings!
 
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Do you mean you want to calculate the inverse tangent of an number on your calculator and check your calculator gives the correct answer?
 
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I knew something was missing. No. I want to know which output does it calculate my device for the function ##\arctan##. Is it really ##[-\pi,\pi]##?
 
mcastillo356 said:
I knew something was missing. No. I want to know which output does it calculate my device for the function ##\arctan##. Is it really ##[-\pi,\pi]##?
I doubt it. What answers does it give for ## \arctan 10\ 000 ## and ## \arctan -10\ 000 ## ?
 
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mcastillo356 said:
I knew something was missing. No. I want to know which output does it calculate my device for the function ##\arctan##. Is it really ##[-\pi,\pi]##?
As they used to say in Scooby Doo: there's only one way to find out.

Although it should ##(-\pi/2, \pi/2)##.

Excel has no problem calculating ##\arctan##. Not sure why it should.
 
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THis is an interesting and tough question to answer. We all trust our calculators to work correctly and accurately. Of course, there are some obscure failures that folks run into such as the Pentium bug or the mystery of ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_F00F_bug

or in Windows calculator when doing sqrt operations:

https://www.windowslatest.com/2018/...culator-bug-in-latest-windows-10-build-17639/

or this great video from Matt Parker on the ##11^6 / 13 = (156158413/3600) \pi## oddity on some calculators:



Lastly, for the historical record it was common practice for publishers of navigation tables to insert known mistakes to catch plagiarized tables from other publishers in England. However what was more likely was simple human error in calculating the values. It was one of the reasons why Babbage was commissioned to design and build his Difference engines.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121206408Some other examples of fictitious entries to catch plagiarists:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_entry

It may well happen that some calculator company might include an obscure bug to catch software theft. This idea was floated in the Matt Parker video too.
 
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Long live Charles Babbage.
##\arctan{10000}=1,570696327<\pi<2\pi##
##\arctan{-10000}=-1,570696327<-\pi>-2\pi##
Is this right? And if it's right, what does it mean?##[-\pi,\pi]## is the image of the function ##\arctan## for my calculator?
 
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mcastillo356 said:
Long live Charles Babbage.
##\arctan{10000}=1,570696327<\pi<2\pi##
##\arctan{-10000}=-1,570696327<-\pi>-2\pi##
Is this right? And if it's right, what does it mean?##[-\pi,\pi]## is the image of the function ##\arctan## for my calculator?
No, the image of ##\arctan## is ##(-\pi/2, \pi/2)##.

It can't be anything else.
 
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  • #10
Yes, Perok, I'm rambling (I mean just wondering aimless). Yes, the image of ##\arctan## is ##(-\pi/2,\pi/2)##.
So I'd like to encourage you to wonder too: ##\arctan:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{[-\pi,\pi]}##, is it the way scientific calculators work?. I mean, everyone. I have the feeling I'm asking you to do my homework. But, for example, ##\tan\pi/2=\mbox{Math ERROR}##, but is different, is ##+\infty##
 
  • #11
mcastillo356 said:
So I'd like to encourage you to wonder too: ##\arctan:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{[-\pi,\pi]}##, is it the way scientific calculators work?. I mean, everyone. I have the feeling I'm asking you to do my homework. But, for example, ##\tan\pi/2=\mbox{Math ERROR}##, but is different, is ##+\infty##
What comes out of a scientific calculator depends on how the calculor has been programmed/designed. But, I'd be surprised if any calculator gives you anything outside the range of ##(-\pi/2,\pi/2)##.

Also ##\tan\pi/2## is undefined, so Math ERROR is correct.
 
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  • #12
When you write the interval as ##( -\pi/2, \pi/2)## it means the end points are not included in the interval also known as an open interval.

The calculator returning MATH ERROR is appropriate and correct.
 
  • #13
I will ask for advice at the store, they will tell me how to manage.
Thanks, @PeroK, @jedishrfu, @pbuk!
 
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  • #14
mcastillo356 said:
I will ask for advice at the store, they will tell me how to manage.
Better yet, look at the documentation for the calculator, which can be found on the manufacturer's website. If you go to the store, I'd bet that the people there would have no idea about the fine points about the calculator.
 
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  • #15
I bought a Casio fx-82MS this morning. The chinese clon is been left aside.
At the guideline, at the point 14. Function Calculations, it mentions ##\sin, \cos, \tan, \sin^{-1}, \cos^{-1}, \tan^{-1}##, and only adds: "Specify the angle unit before performing calculations".
Well, no problem, but the range of the result, how is it displayed? My question was if this range was ##[-\pi,\pi]##.
Later, it says:
"Pol, Rec: Pol converts rectangular coordinates to polar coordinates, while Rec converts polar coordinates to rectangular coordinates. And adds: "Specify the angle unit before performing calculations. Calculation result ##\theta## is displayed in the range of ##-180º<\theta\le{180º}##
My greyhound doesn't let me continue. I must carry her to the park. See you later
 
  • #16
Greyhound Bus USA always had the motto: Go Greyhound ... and leave the driving to us.

I guess your dog has a similar motto.

greyhound1966b.jpg
 
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  • #17
Her motto is: eat, run, sleep...an infinite loop. Now is sleeping, in a few minutes I will take her to the street to make the last walk before curfew, at 22:00 (in two hours): her name is Pepa :oldlaugh:
20201204_195818_HDR.jpg
 
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  • #18
We have a schipperke with similar habits: eat, run around the house like a greased pig, beg for treats at specific times of the day like clockwork, pester us to take him out as needed and also by 9pm and then pester us to go into his playpen at 10pm for a final treat before sleep.
 
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  • #19
Fiendish, and lovely at the same time.
 
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  • #20
mcastillo356 said:
At the guideline, at the point 14. Function Calculations, it mentions ##\sin, \cos, \tan, \sin^{-1}, \cos^{-1}, \tan^{-1}##, and only adds: "Specify the angle unit before performing calculations".
The FX82 is capable of using angle units of degrees, radians or gradians. If I remember rightly you can switch between them by pressing SHIFT then MODE.

mcastillo356 said:
Well, no problem, but the range of the result, how is it displayed? My question was if this range was ##[-\pi,\pi]##.
The range for an inverse trig. function will never be ##[-\pi,\pi]##, see answers above.

mcastillo356 said:
"Pol, Rec: Pol converts rectangular coordinates to polar coordinates, while Rec converts polar coordinates to rectangular coordinates. And adds: "Specify the angle unit before performing calculations. Calculation result ##\theta## is displayed in the range of ##-180º<\theta\le{180º}##
And if you choose radians, then polar coordinate angles will be displayed in the range ##[-\pi,\pi]##, but that is not the same as inverse trig. angles.

mcastillo356 said:
My greyhound doesn't let me continue. I must carry her to the park. See you later
We say 'I need to take her to the park'. 'Carry' means that you hold her in your arms, and I don't think she will let you do that :biggrin:
 
  • #21
pbuk said:
The FX82 is capable of using angle units of degrees, radians or gradians. If I remember rightly you can switch between them by pressing SHIFT then MODE.
Yes.
In the USA you work with Texas Instruments calculators? I should have bought one of those, just to communicate with you better

pbuk said:
The range for an inverse trig. function will never be [−π,π]##[-\pi,\pi]##, see answers above.
With this calculator, ##\arctan{10000}=1,570696327## in radians. ##\pi>1,570696327\approx{1,570796327}=\pi/2##
and ##\arctan{-10000}=-1,570696327\approx{-\pi/2}##
So, we have proved the range is ##[-\pi/2,\pi/2]##. It actually it tends to ##[-\pi/2,\pi/2]## when ##\mathbb{R}\rightarrow{\pm{\infty}}##

pbuk said:
And if you choose radians, then polar coordinate angles will be displayed in the range [−π,π], but that is not the same as inverse trig. angles.
This last I haven't took a look. How do Pol and Rec work?

pbuk said:
We say 'I need to take her to the park'. 'Carry' means that you hold her in your arms, and I don't think she will let you do that :biggrin:
Thanks for the remark about this word. I need to improve my english, and you help me.
Pepa wouldn't let me lift and carry her in her whole life. She's a greyhound, a barefooted princess.
Greetings! Sorry for the delay in answering: now it's 6:07 AM
 
  • #22
Sorry, I'm being boring, I would like to know how Pol. and Rec. work. I know, for example, that Pol function calculates the polar coordinates of rectangular coordinates; but I introduce, for example, Pol(1,1), and I should obtain two integers for response: ##(r,\theta )##, but instead the modulus and the angle, I only obtain ##1,414213562=\sqrt{2}=r##; How must I type it to obtain both ##r## and ##\theta##?
 
  • #23
For all I know, the logic gates might all be designed around trigonometry so the jump in logic is in calculating things like 1+1. Q:?)
 
  • #24
I found it!
Example: Convert rectangular ##(1,\sqrt{3})## to polar ##(r,\theta)## (Rad)
##r=2## ##\rightarrow´{}## ##\boxed{Pol(}## ##1## ##,## ##\sqrt{}## ##3## ##)## ##=##
##\theta=1,047197551## ##\rightarrow´{}## ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{F}##
Press ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{E}## to display the measure of ##r##, or ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{F}## for the angle ##\theta##
So...I don't recommend this scientific calculator.
Greetings, UppercaseQ, pbuk, jedishrfu, PeroK!
 
  • #25
mcastillo356 said:
In the USA you work with Texas Instruments calculators? I should have bought one of those, just to communicate with you better
They might do but I'm in the UK where Casio calculators are far more popular as they are in most of Europe I think (although sometimes rebadged under local brands with keys marked in local languages).

mcastillo356 said:
With this calculator, ##\arctan{10000}=1,570696327## in radians. ##\pi>1,570696327\approx{1,570796327}=\pi/2##
and ##\arctan{-10000}=-1,570696327\approx{-\pi/2}##
So, we have proved the range is ##[-\pi/2,\pi/2]##.
Yes indeed; I think it is the same for the other inverse trig. functions. (Edit: strictly speaking the range for arctan is ## (-\frac{\pi}2, \frac{\pi}2) ## because ## \tan \frac{\pi}2 ## is undefined).

mcastillo356 said:
Sorry, I'm being boring, I would like to know how Pol. and Rec. work. I know, for example, that Pol function calculates the polar coordinates of rectangular coordinates; but I introduce, for example, Pol(1,1), and I should obtain two integers for response: ##(r,\theta )##, but instead the modulus and the angle, I only obtain ##1,414213562=\sqrt{2}=r##; How must I type it to obtain both ##r## and ##\theta##?
Not two integers, the modulus is the real number ## \sqrt 2 ##. The display on the FX82 can only display one number at a time so...

mcastillo356 said:
I found it!
Example: Convert rectangular ##(1,\sqrt{3})## to polar ##(r,\theta)## (Rad)
##r=2## ##\rightarrow´{}## ##\boxed{Pol(}## ##1## ##,## ##\sqrt{}## ##3## ##)## ##=##
##\theta=1,047197551## ##\rightarrow´{}## ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{F}##
Press ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{E}## to display the measure of ##r##, or ##\boxed{RCL}## ##\mbox{F}## for the angle ##\theta##
... that is how you display the angle.

mcastillo356 said:
So...I don't recommend this scientific calculator.
It's a good calculator and was for some time the one most widely used in UK schools (although this was partly because more advanced calculators were not permitted). Its main disadvantage as you have found is that it can only display one number at a time; calculators with multi-line displays like the FX-85 are easier to work with.
 
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  • #26
pbuk said:
They might do but I'm in the UK where Casio calculators are far more popular as they are in most of Europe I think (although sometimes rebadged under local brands with keys marked in local languages).
At the store I only found Casio.
pbuk said:
Yes indeed; I think it is the same for the other inverse trig. functions. (Edit: strictly speaking the range for arctan is ## (-\frac{\pi}2, \frac{\pi}2) ## because ## \tan \frac{\pi}2 ## is undefined).
Oops...Yes, the range is ## (-\frac{\pi}2, \frac{\pi}2) ##.
pbuk said:
Not two integers, the modulus is the real number ## \sqrt 2 ##. The display on the FX82 can only display one number at a time so...
Thanks! I wrote "integer" without checking the meaning.
pbuk said:
It's a good calculator and was for some time the one most widely used in UK schools (although this was partly because more advanced calculators were not permitted)
What you say encourages me to learn more about characteristics of this calculator.
pbuk said:
Its main disadvantage as you have found is that it can only display one number at a time; calculators with multi-line displays like the FX-85 are easier to work with.
FX-85...Is that the one for universitary students?
Greetings!
 

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