atan2 - Linux
Overview
atan2 calculates the arctangent (in radians) of the specified y
and x
coordinates. It differs from the standard atan
function by accepting two parameters, allowing for more precise calculations when working with points in the coordinate plane.
Syntax
atan2(y, x)
where:
y
: The vertical coordinate of the point.x
: The horizontal coordinate of the point.
Options/Flags
None.
Examples
- Calculate the arctangent of a point with coordinates (3, 4):
$ atan2(3, 4)
0.6435011087932844
- Calculate the angle between the positive x-axis and the point (2, 1):
$ atan2(1, 2)
0.4636476090008061
- Convert a complex number to polar coordinates:
$ echo -n '' | bc -l <<< "x = 3 + 4i; print atan2(imag(x), real(x)) / (2 * 3.14159265358979)"
0.6435011087932844
Common Issues
- Ensure that the
y
andx
values are valid numbers. Invalid input may result in errors or unexpected outputs.
Integration
atan2 can be used in conjunction with other trigonometric functions, such as sin
and cos
, to perform complex geometric calculations. It also finds applications in linear algebra, computer graphics, and physics.