Bad Math Module Notation re: atan2

[William Park]

On Thu, Jun 01, 2000 at 02:59:57PM -0400, Lou Pecora wrote:
> Maybe you've all kicked this around before, but I've just picked up
> Python in the last month or so.  The notation for atan2(x,y) is 
> 
>  atan2(x,y)= arctangent( x/y)
> 
> Given the usual association of x with the abscissa and y with the
> ordinate in mathematics, science and engineering it is easy to mistake
> atan2(x,y) as arctangent (y/x) (x and y reversed!).  Or in another
> view, according to the majority of mathematically trained people
> atan2(x,y) as defined appears to deliver the arccotangent.  
> 
> Am I mising something?

If you look at it as 'atan2(y,x) = arctangent(y/x)', then it makes
sense.

--William