gives the tangent of .
- Mathematical function, suitable for both symbolic and numerical manipulation.
- The argument of Tan is assumed to be in radians. (Multiply by Degree to convert from degrees.)
- Sin[z]/Cos[z] is automatically converted to Tan[z]. TrigFactorList[expr] does decomposition.
- Tan is automatically evaluated when its argument is a simple rational multiple of ; for more complicated rational multiples, FunctionExpand can sometimes be used.
- For certain special arguments, Tan automatically evaluates to exact values.
- Tan can be evaluated to arbitrary numerical precision.
- Tan can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects. »
- Tan automatically threads over lists.
Background & Context
- Tan is the tangent function, which is one of the basic functions encountered in trigonometry. Tan[x] is defined as the ratio of the corresponding sine and cosine functions: . The equivalent schoolbook definition of the tangent of an angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite to the length of the leg adjacent to it.
- Tan automatically evaluates to exact values when its argument is a simple rational multiple of . For more complicated rational multiples, FunctionExpand can sometimes be used to obtain an explicit exact value. TrigFactorList can be used to factor expressions involving Tan into terms containing Sin and Cos. To specify an argument using an angle measured in degrees, the symbol Degree can be used as a multiplier (e.g. Tan[30 Degree]). When given exact numeric expressions as arguments, Tan may be evaluated to arbitrary numeric precision. Other operations useful for manipulation of symbolic expressions involving Tan include TrigToExp, TrigExpand, Simplify, and FullSimplify.
- Tan threads element-wise over lists and matrices. In contrast, MatrixFunction can be used to give the tangent of a square matrix (i.e. the power series for the tangent function with ordinary powers replaced by matrix powers) as opposed to the tangent of the individual matrix elements.
- Tan is periodic with period , as reported by FunctionPeriod. Tan satisfies the identity , which is equivalent to the Pythagorean theorem. The definition of the tangent function is extended to complex arguments using the definition , where is the base of the natural logarithm. Tan has poles at values for an integer and evaluates to ComplexInfinity at these points. Tan[z] has series expansion about the origin that may be expressed in terms of the Bernoulli numbers BernoulliB.
- The inverse function of Tan is ArcTan. The hyperbolic tangent is given by Tanh. Other related mathematical functions include Cot.
Examplesopen allclose all
Basic Examples (6)
Use Degree to specify an argument in degrees:
Numerical Evaluation (6)
Tan can take complex number inputs:
Evaluate Tan efficiently at high precision:
Tan threads elementwise over lists and matrices:
Specific Values (5)
Plot the Tan function:
Function Properties (13)
Real domain of Tan:
Tan achieves all real values:
Tan is a periodic function with a period :
Tan is an odd function:
Tan has the mirror property :
Tan is not an analytic function:
Tan is monotonic in a specific range:
Tan is not injective:
Tan is surjective:
Tan is neither non-negative nor non-positive:
Tan is neither convex nor concave:
Series Expansions (3)
Function Identities and Simplifications (6)
Properties & Relations (12)
Tan appears in special cases of many mathematical functions:
Tan is a numeric function:
Possible Issues (4)
A larger setting for $MaxExtraPrecision is needed:
In TraditionalForm, parentheses are needed around the argument:
Neat Examples (7)
Plot Tan at integer points:
Wolfram Research (1988), Tan, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Tan.html (updated 2021).
Wolfram Language. 1988. "Tan." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2021. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Tan.html.
Wolfram Language. (1988). Tan. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Tan.html