Processes of knowledge construction are investigated. A learner is constructing knowledge about the trigonometric functions and their geometric meaning on the unit circle. The analysis is based on the dynamically nested epistemic action model for abstraction in context. Different tasks are offered to the learner. In his effort to perform the different tasks, he has the opportunity to understand the process used to create unit circle representations of trigonometric expressions. The theoretical framework of abstraction in context is used to analyse the evolution of the learner's construction of knowledge in the transition from "triangle" trigonometry to "circle" trigonometry.