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This book begins by examining the "proto-trigonometry" of the Egyptian pyramid builders. It shows how Greek astronomers developed the first true trigonometry. It traces the slow emergence of modern, analytical trigonometry, recounting its origins in Renaissance Europe's quest for more accurate artillery, more precise clocks, and more pleasing musical instruments. Along the way, readers will see trigonometry at work in, for example, the struggle of the mapmaker Gerardus Mercator to represent the curved earth on a flat sheet of paper; how M. C. Escher used geometric progressions in his art; and how the toy Spirograph uses epicycles and hypocycles.Added by ruthless on 2007-01-03 23:46:08
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