Examples of secant in the following topics:
-
- In calculus, the mean value theorem states, roughly: given a planar arc between two endpoints, there is at least one point at which the tangent to the arc is parallel to the secant through its endpoints .
- For any function that is continuous on $[a, b]$ and differentiable on $(a, b)$ there exists some $c$ in the interval $(a, b)$ such that the secant joining the endpoints of the interval $[a, b]$ is parallel to the tangent at $c$.
-
- The sine, tangent, and secant functions of an angle constructed geometrically in terms of a unit circle.
-
-
- The slope of the secant line passing through $p$ and $q$ is equal to the difference quotient
-
- It also appears in the definition of the derivative: in the calculus of one variable, this is the limiting value of the slope of secant lines to the graph of a function.
-