#2
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
it sounds great to me...everyone hated trig, right??
anyway i still didn't really get his method (guess i'll have to buy the book)... it seems more like physical application than mathematics, at least when considering his "simple equations" for distance etc...anyway i am nevertheless intrigued... it would be great if these trigonometric functions, and the agonizing process of learing them and all of their wonderous applications, could be done without. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
Judging from the first chapter, his work is interesting. I am skeptical, however, that students will find it much easier than trigonometry. The old quote about there being no royal road to geometry remains as true as ever.
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
It will be interesting to see if these methods can be applied to calculus. I remember HATING calculating integrals of trigonometric functions.
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
[ QUOTE ]
This guy claims to have revolutionized trig. Has anyone heard about it? Incredible, if it's for real. [/ QUOTE ] I just looked through the first chapter. There are some nice points that many calculations can be simplified if you are computing different quantities, such as the squares of lengths and sin^2(angle) instead of the angle. However, there is a lot of hype, and there are numerous misstatements about the point of trigonometry and how it fits into the history of mathematics and curriculum. We would still need classical coordinate systems and classical trigonometry for calculus, analytic geometry, differential geometry, and Fourier analysis, among other things. Using the squares of lengths and sin^2(angle) also makes many simple calculations and relationships become complicated, such as adding two lengths or angles. It's amusing, but it should not replace trigonometry. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
I was at UNSW the other day (I'm a student there) and I happened to hear about a talk this dude had. I missed it, but got there in time for the free food [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I made an impulse buy and bought the book, since I had a good day online, if I get around to reading it I'll offer my opinion |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Re: New trigonometry
Thanks Pzhon, didn't want to go to the trouble of reading it.
Obviously the fact that sin x is equal to an infinite power series means this guy couldn't have reduced any of its useful properties to simple algebra, as the article claims. But kudos to him for getting people to buy his book... |
|
|