View Full Version : What is tan?
spacefire5458
Aug 6, 2007, 06:57 PM
What is the meaning of tan?
:)
happylady123
Aug 6, 2007, 07:11 PM
I guess it's getting a few shades darker then you are already.
galactus
Aug 6, 2007, 07:21 PM
1. To convert to leather.
2. To thrash or whip
3. A yellowish-brown color
4. To make the skin darker from exposure to the sun.
5. An abbreviation for tangent
Take your pick.
Capuchin
Aug 6, 2007, 10:28 PM
I guess you mean tanning of humans due to exposure to the sun.
Your skin is stimulated by the UV light from the sun to make more melanin. UV is damaging, and melanin absorbs it, so it's a reaction to protect your body from the UV. It just happens to make you sexy and brown, too ;)
sGt HarDKorE
Aug 6, 2007, 10:32 PM
Umm he's talking about tan from math, that is why its in the math section =p. Well I forget how tan is created but its Tan(x)=opposite/hypotenuse.
SOH CAH TOA
Pook_Myster
Aug 6, 2007, 11:02 PM
Nice work... beat me to it. We used to learn it by SOH CAH TOA too...
Capuchin
Aug 6, 2007, 11:29 PM
Oh right. It means tangent :)
It's defined as:
tan(x) = \frac{sin(x)}{cos(x)}
rudi_in
Aug 7, 2007, 03:52 AM
Umm hes talking about tan from math, that is why its in the math section =p. Well I forget how tan is created but its Tan(x)=opposite/hypotenuse.
SOH CAH TOA
Actually, TAN(x) = opposite over adjacent as your little memory helper would indicate.
SIN(x) = opposite over hypotenuse
COS(x) = adjacent over hypotenuse
sGt HarDKorE
Aug 7, 2007, 12:52 PM
Ahh good eye, I should have noticed that when I typed TOA
retsoksirhc
Aug 9, 2007, 01:39 PM
If you want to be even more specific, you can use the unit circle, by drawing a circle on a graph, with center at 0, and radius of 1.
tan(z) would be the value of y/x on the circle, at the point Z degrees around the circle, starting at (1,0), where x and y are the point ON the circle, (x,y)
So like... tan(0), the value of (x,y) would be (1,0), because you didn't move at all around the circle. y/x=0/1, so tan(0)=0