tangent

• Sustantivo que designa una recta o plano que toca una curva o superficie curva en un solo punto sin cruzarla, o la razón trigonométrica entre el cateto opuesto y el cateto contiguo en un triángulo rectángulo.

A noun referring to a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a single point without crossing it, or the trigonometric ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side in a right-angled triangle.

1. Geometry lineB2formalscientific

   A straight line that touches a curve or curved surface at a single point without crossing it.

   Recta tangente

   • The tangent to the circle at point P is perpendicular to the radius.
   • We calculated the slope of the tangent line using calculus.
   • The graph shows a tangent touching the curve at exactly one point.

2. Trigonometric ratioB2formalscientific

   In a right-angled triangle, the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle to the length of the adjacent side.

   Tangente (razón trigonométrica)

   • The tangent of 45 degrees is equal to 1.
   • Use the tangent function to find the height of the building.
   • The calculator gives the tangent of the angle as 0.577.