Can we call $y=1$ as tangent to $y=\sin x$.
Definition of tangent is a straight line which touches the curve at exactly one point. But $y=1$ is tangent to $y=\sin x $ at infinite points. Can we call it as a tangent?
Can we call $y=1$ as tangent to $y=\sin x$.
Definition of tangent is a straight line which touches the curve at exactly one point. But $y=1$ is tangent to $y=\sin x $ at infinite points. Can we call it as a tangent?
In addition to what eyeballfrog just mentionned, by your definition the red line
$y=sin(1)+cos(1)(x-1)$
would not be a tangent to the blue sinusoid because it has another intersection point with it (near $x=-2$, on the figure below).
So your definition of tangent is not true globally, but only locally [*]. Plus having only $1$ intersection point is not sufficient, the slopes of the straight line and the curve should also be the same.
[*] And even locally, the line $y=1$ is a tangent to well... the constant function $y(x)=1$, with infinitely many common points.
Your definition of tangent is a little off. A tangent line has the same slope as a curve at their intersection. $y = 1$ is tangent to $y = \sin x$ at every intersection point.
As an example of a single intersection line that is not tangent, the line $x = 0$ intersects $y = x^2$ only once, but is not tangent to it.