Unit Circle
An interactive demonstration of the relationships between angles and trigonometric functions.
version 1.0, released 3 January 2006
homepage: http://www.coyotegulch.com/products/unit_circle/index.html contact: scott.ladd@coyotegulch.com
Copyright 2006 Scott Robert Ladd.
All rights reserved.
For me, understanding something requires a practical application. I've never been good at abstract learning, at least when it comes to hands-on tasks like computer programming.
I've been exploring the Cairo enhancements to GTK+, and wrote a small program to see how it all worked. In the case of Cairo, the Unit Circle program stems from teaching my daughters some aspects of trigonometry. The program isn't rocket science, but it did give me ample opportunity to fiddle with an interactive graphics program.
The unit circle (where the radius equals 1) provides a very clear demonstration of how various trigonometric functions relate to angles and one another. Draw an angle line from the origin to a point on the circumphrence of the circle; the (x,y) coordinates of that point will will be the cosine and since of the angle.
In Unit Circle, use the mouse to set the angle line by either clicking or dragging the pointer inside the diagram. Change the trigonmetric values in the fields, and the angle will automatically adjust.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Cairo
GTK+