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

FH, the versed sine, read direct on the curved scale.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 832, December 12, 1891 by Various

The answer is, this measure or amount is the versed sine of the angle through which the body moves.

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

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

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

If closer accuracy is demanded, we can attain it, by taking the versed sine for 1°, and multiplying this by 6².

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