What's the point of hyperbolic trigonometric functions?

Question

I'm currently learning about hyperbolic trig functions, and i don't really get the point. At first, I found it really weird that the input is the area divided by 2, and just wondered what was the point of it anyways?

So, are there any real world applications for this kind of stuff?

Answer 1

From the Wikipedia page on hyperbolic functons:

Hyperbolic functions occur in the solutions of many linear differential equations (for example, the equation defining a catenary), of some cubic equations, in calculations of angles and distances in hyperbolic geometry, and of Laplace's equation in Cartesian coordinates. Laplace's equations are important in many areas of physics, including electromagnetic theory, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and special relativity.