Short for arctangent; a mathematical function that finds an angle when you know the ratio of two sides of a right triangle.
Abbreviation of 'arctangent,' combining 'arc-' (indicating inverse function) and 'tangent' (a trigonometric ratio). Developed in modern mathematical notation, 'arc-' prefix became standard for inverse trigonometric functions.
The 'arc' in arctan doesn't mean Arctic—it means you're finding an arc or angle! Mathematicians reused the prefix 'arc-' to mean 'inverse of' so often that it became its own thing in modern math.
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