Introduction to Trig

Durham Performance Learning Center

!
Opposite
Adjacent
Hypotenuse
Before you learn about trigonometry, we need a common language to talk about it.

Basic trigonometry involves right triangles. Our angle measured degrees,
called theta, determines the names of the sides. For example, side is directly
opposite to angle .

is adjacent to side , meaning its directly beside

The hypotenuse is directly across from the right angle
!
A
B
C
AB
!ACB
!ACB
!ACB

AC
!ACB
!BAC
!
Opposite
Adjacent
Hypotenuse
A
B
C
To the left, you see the image from
the last slide. What would happen
if we changed our viewpoint from
to ?


Clearly, the hypotenuse would still
be across from the right angle. But,
what would happen to the opposite
and adjacent sides?


!ACB !ABC
A
B
C
Adjacent
Opposite
Hypotenuse
In the new image to the right, we
switch the location of theta. What
happens?

As expected, the hypotenuse
remains the same.

But, now side is opposite of
theta and side is adjacent to
theta.



AC
AB
!

A ratio expresses relationships between values.

Suppose there are 50 parking spaces in a parking lot,
but 20 are occupied. The ratio of occupied parking
spaces to free parking spaces could be written as 20/50,
or , which can be reduced to .


Similarly, we can express ratios between side lengths of
triangles.



20
50
2
5
Suppose the angle measuring 60 degrees is our concern.
Opposite
Hypotenuse
=
7 3
14
Adjacent
Hypotenuse
=
7
14
In the last slide, we took 60 degrees as our perspective.
What if 30 degrees was our perspective? In that case,
opposite and adjacent would switch, thereby changing
the ratios. See the table below for a summary.


60 Degree Perspective 30 Degree Perspective











In the coming slides, we will learn about notation that
makes these ratios simpler.




Opposite
Hypotenuse
=
7
14
Adjacent
Hypotenuse
=
7 3
14
Opposite
Hypotenuse
=
7 3
14
Adjacent
Hypotenuse
=
7
14
We have names for these ratios called sine, cosine, and
tangent. Below, you will find a list of abbreviations











Therefore, for the triangle to the right, we have:




sin(angle measure) =
opposite
hypotenuse
cos(angle measure) =
adjacent
hypotenuse
tan(angle measure) =
opposite
adjacent
sin(60) =
7 3
14
, sin(30) =
7
14
cos(60) =
7
14
, cos(30) =
7 3
14
tan(60) =
7 3
7
, tan(30) =
7
7 3
In the last problem, we knew the triangles side lengths and its angle measures. However,
we will often not have all this information.


Youve probably found measurements on triangles given a limited amount of information.
Consider the Pythagorean theorem:

Given: 2 side lengths of a triangle
Find: The length of the third side
Example:







By the Pythagorean Theorem, the third side the hypotenuse has length 13 units.

With trigonometry, you will have questions that give you 1 side length and 1 angle,
whereas this example gives you 2 side lengths. Lets see a trig example in the next slide
5
12
a
2
+b
2
= c
2
5
2
+12
2
= c
2
25+144 = c
2
169 = c
2
169 = c
2
13= c
Suppose you must direct your vision l35
degrees above the horizontal to see the
top of a tree. How far are you from the
tree?

First, take into account what you know:
1) An angle of 35 degrees and

2) the side length opposite to that 35
degree angle is 30 ft.

Second, consider what you want to
know: the length you are from the tree
in other words, the length of line CB.
Note that line CB is adjacent to angle C.

Now, what trigonometric function
relates opposite side to adjacent side? If
you review sine, cosine and tangent,
youll find that tangent works.
(A) tan(35) =
30
x
(B)
x
1
*tan(35) =
30
x
*
x
1
(C) x tan(35) = 30
(D)
x tan(35)
tan(35)
=
30
tan(35)
(E) x =
30
tan(35)
But now
what?
See next
slide..
In the last slide, we found that the distance to the tree
was , but what does this mean?

We can calculate this value in our calculator, but we must be
very careful.

Most likely, you have only learned about angles in terms of
degrees. We talk about a triangles angles adding to 180
degrees, or a circle being 360 degrees.

Just like temperature can be measured in Fahrenheit or
Celsius, angles can be measured in degrees and radians. You
will learn about radians later, but not in this class. Make sure
your calculator is in degree mode and not in radian mode.

Hit the MODE button and then drag your curser over the
word degree, then click Enter youll find. You may find
that the calculator is already in degree mode.

At that point, you can type 30/tan(35) and obtain
42.84.


x =
30
tan(35)
Note that there are multiple ways to find the same
missing side length. For example, consider the two
methods of finding the length y in this right
triangle. I can use the 30 degree angle measure, or
the measure of angle B, which must be 60 degrees.


(A) tan(30) =
5
y
(B)
y
1
*tan(30) =
5
y
*
y
1
(C) ytan(30) = 5
(D)
ytan(30)
tan(30)
=
5
tan(30)
(E) y =
5
tan(30)
= 8.66
(A) tan(60) =
y
5
(B)
5
1
*tan(30) =
y
5
*
5
1
(C) 5tan(30) = y
(D) 2.89 = y
5
2.89
30
60
x
In the last slide, you saw how tangent could be used
to find that side length y is 2.89 units. Now, you
could find x by the Pythagorean theorem, or with a
trigonometric equation. Here are several possible
trigonometric equations you could use:
(A) sin(30) =
5
x
(B)
x
1
*sin(30) =
5
x
*
x
1
(C) xsin(30) = 5
(D)
xsin(30)
sin(30)
=
5
sin(30)
(E) x =
5
sin(30)
=10
(A) cos(30) =
2.89
x
(B)
x
1
*cos(30) =
2.89
x
*
x
1
(C) xcos(30) = 2.89
(D)
xcos(30)
cos(30)
=
2.89
cos(30)
(E) x =
2.89
cos(30)
= 3.34