noun
- in a right triangle, the ratio of the length of the side adjacent to an acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse
- a trigonometric function that for an acute angle is the ratio between the side adjacent to the angle when it is considered part of a right triangle and the hypotenuse
Usage: mathematics
Usage: mathematics
Examples
- The cosine of 60 degrees is 0.5.
- To find the adjacent side, multiply the hypotenuse by the cosine of the angle.
- The cosine function is periodic with a period of 360 degrees.
- In the unit circle, the cosine represents the x-coordinate.
- The cosine of 0 degrees equals 1.
- Students learn about sine, cosine, and tangent in trigonometry class.
- The graph of cosine starts at its maximum value of 1.