Unit Circle

The Unit Circle project is a software that allows users to explore the relationship between trigonometric and angle functions such as sine and cosine. The program achieves this by implementing an interactive unit circle diagram, where the radius is set at 1. The user is able to click or drag the pointer to set angles and observe how the values of trigonometric functions change accordingly.

By using the unit circle where the radius is equal to 1, the software is able to provide a clearer understanding of how various trigonometric functions are interrelated. A line is drawn from the origin to a point on the circumference of the circle and the (x,y) coordinates of that point are the cosine and sine of the angle. Using the mouse, the angle line can be set by clicking or dragging the pointer inside the diagram, alternatively, changing the trigonometric values in the fields will automatically adjust the angle.

The inspiration for the development of this program was the challenges faced by the developer's home-schooled daughters in understanding the nature of trigonometry. As an educational tool, the Unit Circle software has been successful and it may evolve into a more comprehensive application for exploring other aspects of trigonometry and geometry.