trigonometry

• Trigonometry


  A branch of mathematics that studies the relationships between the sides of a right-angle triangle and the angles that occur within it
• Right-angle triangle


  • Has three sides: hypotenuse, opposite, adjacent
  • Trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent) relate the sides and angles
• Solving trigonometric problems


  1. Label the sides (hypotenuse, opposite, adjacent)

  2. Determine which trigonometric function to use (sine, cosine, tangent)

  3. Substitute known values and solve for the unknown
• Trigonometric problems


  • Find unknown side length given angle and one side
  • Find unknown angle given two side lengths
• The mnemonic "Some old hags can't always hack their old age" helps remember the trigonometric functions
• To find an angle from a trigonometric ratio, use the inverse function (sin^-1, cos^-1, tan^-1)
• Trigonometry deals with right-angle triangles
• Trigonometric functions relate the sides and angles of a right-angle triangle
• The three main trigonometric functions are sine, cosine, and tangent
• Trigonometry allows us to find unknown side lengths or angles in a right-angle triangle
• The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right-angle triangle
• The opposite side is the side opposite the angle being considered
• The adjacent side is the side next to the angle being considered
• Sine is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse
• Cosine is the ratio of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse
• Tangent is the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side