xref: /freebsd/lib/msun/man/atan2.3 (revision 4f29da19bd44f0e99f021510460a81bf754c21d2)
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32.\"     from: @(#)atan2.3	5.1 (Berkeley) 5/2/91
33.\" $FreeBSD$
34.\"
35.Dd January 14, 2005
36.Dt ATAN2 3
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm atan2 ,
40.Nm atan2f
41.Nd arc tangent functions of two variables
42.Sh LIBRARY
43.Lb libm
44.Sh SYNOPSIS
45.In math.h
46.Ft double
47.Fn atan2 "double y" "double x"
48.Ft float
49.Fn atan2f "float y" "float x"
50.Sh DESCRIPTION
51The
52.Fn atan2
53and the
54.Fn atan2f
55functions compute the principal value of the arc tangent of
56.Fa y/ Ns Ar x ,
57using the signs of both arguments to determine the quadrant of
58the return value.
59.Sh RETURN VALUES
60The
61.Fn atan2
62and the
63.Fn atan2f
64functions, if successful,
65return the arc tangent of
66.Fa y/ Ns Ar x
67in the range
68.Bk -words
69.Bq \&- Ns \*(Pi , \&+ Ns \*(Pi
70.Ek
71radians.
72Here are some of the special cases:
73.Bl -column atan_(y,x)_:=____  sign(y)_(Pi_atan2(Xy_xX))___
74.It Fn atan2 y x No := Ta
75.Fn atan y/x Ta
76if
77.Ar x
78> 0,
79.It Ta sign( Ns Ar y Ns )*(\*(Pi -
80.Fn atan "\\*(Bay/x\\*(Ba" ) Ta
81if
82.Ar x
83< 0,
84.It Ta
85.No 0 Ta
86if x = y = 0, or
87.It Ta
88.Pf sign( Ar y Ns )*\\*(Pi/2 Ta
89if
90.Ar x
91= 0 \(!=
92.Ar y .
93.El
94.Sh NOTES
95The function
96.Fn atan2
97defines "if x > 0,"
98.Fn atan2 0 0
99= 0 despite that previously
100.Fn atan2 0 0
101may have generated an error message.
102The reasons for assigning a value to
103.Fn atan2 0 0
104are these:
105.Bl -enum -offset indent
106.It
107Programs that test arguments to avoid computing
108.Fn atan2 0 0
109must be indifferent to its value.
110Programs that require it to be invalid are vulnerable
111to diverse reactions to that invalidity on diverse computer systems.
112.It
113The
114.Fn atan2
115function is used mostly to convert from rectangular (x,y)
116to polar
117.if n\
118(r,theta)
119.if t\
120(r,\(*h)
121coordinates that must satisfy x =
122.if n\
123r\(**cos theta
124.if t\
125r\(**cos\(*h
126and y =
127.if n\
128r\(**sin theta.
129.if t\
130r\(**sin\(*h.
131These equations are satisfied when (x=0,y=0)
132is mapped to
133.if n \
134(r=0,theta=0).
135.if t \
136(r=0,\(*h=0).
137In general, conversions to polar coordinates
138should be computed thus:
139.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
140.if n \{\
141r	:= hypot(x,y);  ... := sqrt(x\(**x+y\(**y)
142theta	:= atan2(y,x).
143.\}
144.if t \{\
145r	:= hypot(x,y);  ... := \(sr(x\u\s82\s10\d+y\u\s82\s10\d)
146\(*h	:= atan2(y,x).
147.\}
148.Ed
149.It
150The foregoing formulas need not be altered to cope in a
151reasonable way with signed zeros and infinities
152on a machine that conforms to
153.Tn IEEE 754 ;
154the versions of
155.Xr hypot 3
156and
157.Fn atan2
158provided for
159such a machine are designed to handle all cases.
160That is why
161.Fn atan2 \(+-0 \-0
162= \(+-\*(Pi
163for instance.
164In general the formulas above are equivalent to these:
165.Bd -unfilled -offset indent
166.if n \
167r := sqrt(x\(**x+y\(**y); if r = 0 then x := copysign(1,x);
168.if t \
169r := \(sr(x\(**x+y\(**y);\0\0if r = 0 then x := copysign(1,x);
170.Ed
171.El
172.Sh SEE ALSO
173.Xr acos 3 ,
174.Xr asin 3 ,
175.Xr atan 3 ,
176.Xr cos 3 ,
177.Xr cosh 3 ,
178.Xr math 3 ,
179.Xr sin 3 ,
180.Xr sinh 3 ,
181.Xr tan 3 ,
182.Xr tanh 3
183.Sh STANDARDS
184The
185.Fn atan2
186function conforms to
187.St -isoC .
188