trigonometry
by John Hawkhead
measuring a new distance
between our stars
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with the functions of angles and their application to calculations. Trigonometric functions are used to find unknown angles and distances from known or measured angles in geometric figures.
For example, astronomers apply trigonometry to calculate how far stars and planets are from Earth. Similarly, astronauts calculate the speed they are moving in a spacecraft by using the distance from a known location to calculate an unknown distance to another location.
Humans also use the stars to reference predestined future events such as in Shakespeare’s ‘star-crossed lovers’ (where Romeo and Juliet’s romantic relationship is doomed). Potential lovers may look to the stars to predict how distances between one person and another can be bridged, or how to predict who one is fated to be with.
Further reading:
‘Trigonometry’, Wikipedia article, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigonometry
Author bio:
John Hawkhead (@haikuhawk.bsky.social) has been writing haiku and illustrating for over 25 years. His work has been published all over the world and he has won a number of haiku competitions. John’s books of haiku and senryu, ‘Small Shadows’ and ‘Bone Moon’, are now available from Alba Publishing (http://www.albapublishing.com/).