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HiTechnic Sin/Cos Block

This block calculates the sine and cosine values of an angle. The input Angle can either be set in the configuration panel or passed in with data wires. The units for the angle can be either Degrees or Radians which can also be specified in the configuration panel or passed in with a data wire.

About Sine and Cosine Functions

The sine and cosine functions are trigonometric functions that give you the ratio of two of the sides of a right triangle given one of the other angles. The sine of the angle is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse and the cosine is the ratio of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse. A good way to thing about these functions is to imagine a unit circle (a circle with a radius of 1 unit).

Sin Cos Graph

Given the angle θ, this block will give you the length of the sides labeled sin θ and cos θ.

These functions are normally known as sin and cos in computer languages and calculators, that is why the outputs of this block are called Sin(Angle) and Cos(Angle).

This block takes advantage of the floating point math that is available with the LEGO Mindstorms 2.0 (and beyond) software. The input angle can include a fractional component. For example, you can pass in an angle like 15.5 degrees or 0.27 radians. The output values for both Sin(Angle) and Cos(Angle) are always in the range -1 to 1. For example, if the input angle is 30 degrees, then the output for Sin(Angle) will be 0.5 and Cos(Angle) will be: 0.866025.

Using the Sin/Cos block

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  1. The block’s data hub will open automatically when the block is placed in the work area. Use this plug to pass in the angle.
  2. Sin(Angle) will output the sine of the input angle.
  3. Cos(Angle) will output the cosine of the input angle.

Configuring the HiTechnic Sin/Cos Block

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  1. Select the units used for the input angle, either Degrees or Radians.
  2. Enter the angle here unless the angle is passed in with a data wire.

Configuring the Sin/Cos block’s Data Hub

You can pass data to the Sin/Cos block dynamically by connecting data wires (from other blocks’ data hubs) to the Sin/Cos block’s data hub.

Open a block’s data hub by clicking the tab at the lower left edge of the block after it has been placed on the work area.

Image showing unopened tab on a generic block

Data wires carrying input information to a block are connected to the plugs on the left side of its data hub. Data wires carrying output information are connected to the plugs on the right side.

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[A] Input plug
[B] Output plug
[C] Number data wire (yellow)
[D] Logic data wire (green)
[E] Text data wire (orange)
[F] Broken data wire (gray)

Passing data from the input plug to the output plug

If an input plug has a corresponding output plug (see A above), the input data will pass through from the input plug to the output plug without being changed. In this case, you can only use the output plug if the input plug is connected to an input data wire; connecting an output data wire to such an output plug without a connected input data wire will cause the output data wire to be “broken” (and colored gray).

Data wires carry specific types of data

Each data wire carries a specific type of data between blocks. For example, if a data wire is dragged from a logic plug on a block’s data hub, it can only be connected to a logic plug on another block’s data hub. The chart below shows what kind of data each plug can accept or send out.

Data wire colors

Data wires are identified with specific colors: wires carrying number data are colored yellow, wires carrying logic data are colored green, and wires carrying text data are colored orange.

“Broken” data wires

If you try to connect a data wire to a plug of the wrong data type, the data wire will be broken (and colored gray). You will not be able to download your program if a data wire is broken.

If you click a broken wire you can read why it is broken in the small help window in the lower right corner of the work area.

Data must be within the possible range of the plug

If an input data wire transmits a value outside the possible range of the plug it is connected to, the block will either ignore the value or change it to a value within its range. For plugs that allow just a few input values (example: just 0, 1, or 2), the plug will ignore the input if a value arrives outside its range.

For plugs that accept larger input ranges (example: 0 – 100), the plug will force any input outside its range to fit. For example, if a Move block’s Power plug receives an input value of 150, the block will change the input value to 100 (i.e., a number within the Power plug’s range).

Sin/Cos Block Data Hub plugs

You must click on the Data Hub to open it as shown.

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  1. This plug wires the angle input in either degrees or radians.
  2. This plug specifies the Units used for the angle, 0 for degrees and 1 for radians.
  3. This plug outputs the sine of the angle.
  4. This plug outputs the cosine of the angle.