Trigonometry has always been an underappreciated branch of mathematics. It has a reputation as a dry and difficult subject, a glorified form of geometry complicated by tedious computation. In this book, Eli Maor draws on his remarkable talents as a guide to the world of numbers to dispel that view. Rejecting the usual arid descriptions of sine, cosine, and their trigonometric relatives, he brings the subject to life in a compelling blend of history, biography, and mathematics. He presents both a survey of the main elements of trigonometry and a unique account of its vital contribution to science and social development. Woven together in a tapestry of entertaining stories, scientific curiosities, and educational insights, the book more than lives up to the title Trigonometric Delights. ?

Preface xiPrologue: Ahmes the Scribe, 1650 B.C. 3Recreational Mathematics in Ancient Egypt 111.Angles 152.Chords 20Plimpton 322: The Earliest Trigonometric Table? 303.Six Functions Come of Age 35Johann Müller, alias Regiomontanus 414.Trigonometry Becomes Analytic 50Francois Viète 565.Measuring Heaven and Earth 63Abraham De Moivre 806.Two Theorems from Geometry 877.Epicycloids and Hypocycloids 95Maria Agnesi and Her "Witch" 1088.Variations on a Theme by Gauss 1129.Had Zeno Only Known This! 11710.(sin x)/x 12911.A Remarkable Formula 139Jules Lissajous and His Figures 14512.tan x 15013.A Mapmaker's Paradise 16514.sin x = 2: Imaginary Trigonometry 181Edmund Landau: The Master Rigorist 19215. Fourier's Theorem 198Appendixes 2111.Let's Revive an Old Idea 2132.Barrow's Integration of sec ø 2183.Some Trigonometric Gems 2204.Some Special Values of sin a 222Bibliography 225Credits for Illustrations 229Index 231