Un approccio alla trigonometria attraverso un percorso storico

Abstract

It is well known that students of mathematics are rarely attracted to the discipline of trigonometry. This situation may be obviated by the introduction of a historical approach which would have the advantage of demonstrating why it was, and still is, important to study trigonometry. The present work proposes to go back over some of the main steps of the development of the discipline, from the first tables of chords contained in the Algemest by Ptolemy, to the contributions made by the Indians and Arabs, to the developments in the West, up to the introduction and definition of circular functions between the XVII and XVIII centuries.