I have trying to figure out how to use math.atan(), which I assumed would the inverse of tangent or tan^-1(). However, the numbers they are returning don’t seem to what the right answers.
In degree mode in my calculator tan^-1(1) returns 45, so the inverse tangent of 1 is 45 degrees. In radian mode in my calculator tan^-1(1) returns 0.78539.
However, whenever I try to do the same thing on Roblox, it doesn’t seem to work at all?
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print(math.tan(math.rad(45))) --Equivalent to putting tan(45) in degree mode on a calculator.
local tan = math.atan(1) --This returns 0.7853, which is what you get when you input tan^-1(1) on radian
mode.
print(tan)
local otherTan = math.atan(math.rad(1)) --Returns 0.01745 for some reason.
print(otherTan)
My question is, how am I suppose to get it to return 45 degrees like it is supposed to?
math.atan and the rest of the inverse trigonometric functions accepts a ratio from a right angle triangle sides remembering SOHCAHTOA, and outputs an angle in radians. For math.atan its TOA opposite/adjacent.
So it’s always in radians mode for the output.
--Converting 45 degrees to radians
45° × π/180 = 0.7854rad
To make it output a degree just turn the output into degrees.
local tan = math.atan(1)
print(math.deg(tan))
--45° output
The reason otherTan doesn’t work is because the ratio 1 opposite/adjacent is not being inputted into the function which is the ratio of y/x.
What is actually being inputted is 0.0174533 because of the math.rad(1).
Also, using math.atan2(y, x) rather than math.atan(y / x) is a lot more useful when you’re working with stuff like coordinates since it takes into account which quadrant your X and Y values are in.