Assume that
[math]a = adjacent\\
h = hypotenuse\\[/math]
Therefore, we can say that:
[math]\cos(\theta) = \frac{a}{h}\\
\sec(\theta) = \frac{1}{\cos(\theta)}\\
\sec(\theta) = \frac{1}{\frac{a}{h}}\\
\sec(\theta) = \frac{h}{a}[/math]
Which makes more sense because it doesn't assign an arbitrary function to an easily manipulatable fraction (which the secant function is). Sure, secant makes things look cleaner, but overall, more annoying to understand.
My teacher taught us the definition of sec and csc and called them "irrelevant trig functions that are going the way of the versine and vercosine".
>not using cos^-1
Bunch of brainlets in this thread
We use sec
t. Britbong
lul
czech student here, confirming we never use sec
Yes, the only notation that we use is cos, sin, tan and their inverses; nothing else.
I get mad when I see sec and the other stuff Americans use. They are pointless and I always have to look up what they mean.
oh the only exception (in Greece at least) is in schools where they use 1/tan=cot (1/εφ=σφ)
It's completely useless. In any question/problem that involves sec, cosec, cot, the first thing anyone ever does is change it to 1/cos, etc, so there is literally no point other than to look """neater""".
Who gives a fuck? Personally I appreciate secant having its own name because of the geometric motivation. It's a bit of notation that references the meaning of the function in a non-cumbersome way.