versed sine

American  

noun

Trigonometry.

1. one minus the cosine of a given angle or arc. vers.

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versed sine British  

noun

1.  vers.  a trigonometric function equal to one minus the cosine of the specified angle

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Etymology

Origin of versed sine

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Measuring the deflection in question—which is equivalent to the so-called versed sine of the arc traversed—we have a basis for determining the strength of the deflecting force.

From A History of Science — Volume 2 by Williams, Henry Smith

This decimal is the versed sine of the arc of 3°15', or of 3.25°.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various

This angle is so small that the departure from the law that the deflection is equal to the versed sine of the angle is too slight to appear in our computation.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various

This gives as a product 0.0054829728, which is a little larger than the versed sine of 6°.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various

Now, I suspect that some of you--some of those whom I am directly addressing--may not know what the versed sine of an angle is; so I must tell you.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various