secant

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secant

se·cant

 (sē′kănt′, -kənt)
n. Abbr. sec
1.
a. A straight line intersecting a curve at two or more points.
b. The straight line drawn from the center through one end of a circular arc and intersecting the tangent to the other end of the arc.
c. The ratio of the length of this line to the length of the radius of the circle.
2. The reciprocal of the cosine of an angle in a right triangle.

[From Latin secāns, secant-, present participle of secāre, to cut; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

secant

(ˈsiːkənt)
n
1. (Mathematics) (of an angle) a trigonometric function that in a right-angled triangle is the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to that of the adjacent side; the reciprocal of cosine. Abbreviation: sec
2. (Mathematics) a line that intersects a curve
[C16: from Latin secāre to cut]
ˈsecantly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

se•cant

(ˈsi kænt, -kənt)

n.
1. an intersecting line, esp. one intersecting a curve at two or more points.
2. (in a right triangle) the ratio of the hypotenuse to the side adjacent to a given angle; the reciprocal of its cosine. Abbr.: sec
[1585–95; < Latin secant-, s. of secāns, present participle of secāre to cut; see -ant]
se′cant•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

se·cant

(sē′kănt′)
1. A straight line or ray that intersects a curve, especially a circle, at two or more points.
2. The ratio of the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle to the side adjacent to an acute angle; the inverse of the cosine.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.secant - a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more pointssecant - a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points
straight line - a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature; "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line"
2.secant - ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
circular function, trigonometric function - function of an angle expressed as a ratio of the length of the sides of right-angled triangle containing the angle
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
sečnasekans
leikkaajasekantti

secant

[ˈsiːkənt] Nsecante f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

secant

n
Sekans m
(= line)Sekante f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

secant

[ˈsiːknt] nsecante f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
He felt the necessity of gaining a firmer footing, and turned towards the road by the shortest secant line.
Contracting firm, Dutch Foundation has completed all 938 secants of shoring and started with five metres of excavation inside Pixel.
Phase 1 of the mixed-use development on Saadiyat Island is on track for completion in Q4 2020 after geotechnical contractor Dutch Foundation completed all 938 secants of shoring.
Berger has been making match-grade bullets for decades and is the first to popularize the "hybrid" ogive that combines the best characteristics of the secants and tangents.
Zak, Tangents and Secants of Algebraic Varieties, Translations of Mathematical Monographs 127 (1993).
1) for any value [J.sub.[SIGMA]], of system (1), then set four reference points ([[omega].sub.1] = [[omega].sub.min], [[omega].sub.2], [[omega].sub.3], [[omega].sub.4] = [[omega].sub.max] ) and using known formula of the straight line, passing through two points obtain the equations of all three secants.
Many students have difficulty learning about differentiation and Lim shows that spreadsheets can quickly evaluate the gradient function of a whole family of secants, numerically, and then by using the curve of best fit, find the equation of the secants' gradient function.
* From the centre of adjacent hyperbolas (X = 0, Y = 1) the secants have some points of crossing, the principal of which lie on the line Y = 0.5 and on the virtual axes (peaks);
Items ranged from calculating fractions and percentages to the solution of problems of limits and the addition of tangents and secants.
The following sections show that the ability of spreadsheets to fit a polynomial to a set of discrete (x,y) points, enables students to not just evaluate a gradient at a single point, but at a whole family of points, thus generating the analytic global gradient function of secants without doing any algebraic manipulations.
To keep the water out, engineers devised a system of 394 secant piles (overlapping concrete cylinders).
To keep the water out, engineers devised a system of 394 secant piles, or overlapping concrete cylinders--the first of its kind ever used in New York City.