Trigonometry
In trigonometry, the cotangent is a function (see trigonometric function) defined as:
- <math>\,\cot x = \frac{\cos x}{\sin x}<math>
or
- <math>\,\cot x = \frac{1}{\tan x}<math>
An interpretation of the cotangent of an angle x is as follows. In a right triangle with one angle equal to x, cot x is the ratio of the length of the leg adjacent to the angle x to the leg opposite the angle x.
Derivative
The derivative of the cotangent is:
- <math>\,\frac{\mathrm{d} (\cot x)}{\mathrm{d} x} = \frac{-1}{\sin^2 x} = -\csc^2 x<math>
where csc is the cosecant.
See also
External link
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