Trigonometry starts by examining the triangles, particularly the right-angled

triangles. Supplementary composite triangles can be built by joining rightangled triangles together. More complex shapes, such as squares, hexagons,
circles and ellipses can be constructed from two or more triangles. Finally, the
universe we live in can be mapped through the use of triangles. For instance,
the Ancient Greeks were able to use trigonometry to calculate the distance
from the Earth to the Moon.
Later trigonometry was developed to be the branch of mathematics that
studies about relationships between angles and sides of right triangles. This
branch of mathematics defines six important trigonometric ratios which are as
follows sine, cosine, tangent, cosecant, secant, cotangent. These are written in
short as sin, cos, tan, cosec, sec and cot.
In a right triangle, the side opposite to the right angle is known as the
hypotenuse, the side that is perpendicular is termed as adjacent and third side
is known as base. Trigonometric ratios are called so because all of these are
defined as specified relationships between ratios of sides and angles of the
right-angled triangles. The ratios sine, cosine and tangent are main ratios;
while cosecant, secant and cotangent are the inverse function of sine, cosine,
tangent respectively. Let us go ahead in this page and understand more about
trigonometric ratios, their definitions, important formulae and sample
problems based on those.

Applications of Trigonometry in Real life

Trigonometry is commonly used in finding the height of towers and

mountains.

It is used in navigation to find the distance of the shore from a point in

the sea.

It is used in oceanography in calculating the height of tides in oceans

It is used in finding the distance between celestial bodies

The sine and cosine functions are fundamental to the theory of periodic
functions such as those that describe sound and light waves.

Architects use trigonometry to calculate structural load, roof slopes,

ground surfaces and many other aspects, including sun shading and light
angles

Trigonometric Ratio Definition

Trigonometric ratio is a ratio that describes a relationship between a side and angle of a triangle. The six
trigonometric ratios (sin x, cos x, tan x, csc x, sec x, cot x) relate the sides of a right triangle to its angles. The
trigonometric ratios are functions whose input is an angle and whose output is a ratio of two lengths of the right
angle triangle.
Trigonometric Ratios in Right Triangles
There are six trigonometric ratios in right triangles.

sin = length of opposite sidelength of hypotenuse

cos = length of adjacent sidelength of hypotenuse

tan = length of opposite sidelength of adjacent side

csc = length of hypotenuselength of opposite side

sec = length of hypotenuse sidelength of adjacent side

cot = length of adjacent sidelength of opposite side

Trigonometric Ratios Table

All the trigonometric ratios for angle of measures
0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 are provided in the following table:

Tr
igonometric Identity - A trigonometric identity is a form of proof in which you use known
properties of the trig functions as well as known identities of the trig functions to show
that other trig identities are true.
In mathematics, an "identity" is an equation which is always true. These can be "trivially" true, like "x =
x" or usefully true, such as the Pythagorean Theorem's "a2 + b2 = c2" for right triangles. There are
loads of trigonometric identities, but the following are the ones you're most likely to see and use.
Basic & Pythagorean, Angle-Sum & -Difference, Double-Angle, Half-Angle, Sum, Product
Basic and Pythagorean Identities

Notice how a "co-(something)" trig ratio is always the reciprocal of some "non-co" ratio. You can use
this fact to help you keep straight that cosecant goes with sine and secant goes with cosine.
sin2(t) + cos2(t) = 1

tan2(t) + 1 = sec2(t)

1 + cot2(t) = csc2(t)

The above, because they involve squaring and the number 1, are the "Pythagorean" identities. You
can see this clearly if you consider the unit circle, where sin(t) = y, cos(t) = x, and the hypotenuse is 1.
sin(t) = sin(t)

cos(t) = cos(t)

tan(t) = tan(t)

Notice in particular that sine and tangent are odd functions, while cosine is an even function.

Angle-Sum and -Difference Identities

sin( + ) = sin()cos() + cos()sin()
sin( ) = sin()cos() cos()sin()
cos( + ) = cos()cos() sin()sin()
cos( ) = cos()cos() + sin()sin()

Double-Angle Identities
sin(2x) = 2sin(x)cos(x)
cos(2x) = cos2(x) sin2(x) = 1 2sin2(x) = 2cos2(x) 1

Half-Angle Identities Copyright Elizabeth Stapel 2010-2011 All Rights Reserved

The above identities can be re-stated as:

sin2(x) = [1 cos(2x)]
cos2(x) = [1 + cos(2x)]

Sum Identities

Product Identities

Trigonometric Ratios
"Trigon" is greek for triangle, and "metric" is greek for measurement. The trigonometric ratios are special
measurements of a right triangle (a triangle with one angle measuring 90o). Remember that the two sides of a
right triangle which form the right angle are called the legs, and the third side (opposite the right angle) is
called the hypotenuse.
There are three basic trigonometric ratios: sine, cosine, and tangent. Given a right triangle, you can find the
sine (or cosine, or tangent) of either of the non-90o angles.