TRIGONOMETRY
Complete Notes & Reference Guide
TRIGONOMETRY — COMPREHENSIVE NOTES
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PART A: THE THREE BASIC RATIOS (SOHCAHTOA)
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For any angle θ in a right-angled triangle:
sin θ = opposite / hypotenuse (SOH = Sine is Opposite over Hypotenuse)
cos θ = adjacent / hypotenuse (CAH = Cosine is Adjacent over Hypotenuse)
tan θ = opposite / adjacent (TOA = Tangent is Opposite over Adjacent)
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LABELLING A RIGHT-ANGLED TRIANGLE:
In any right triangle with angle θ:
Hypotenuse ← the longest side (always opposite the right angle)
Opposite ← the side across from angle θ
Adjacent ← the side next to angle θ (not the hypotenuse)
Right angle (90°) ← marked with a small square
Example:
Hypotenuse
/|
/ |
/ | Opposite
/ |
/ θ |
/_____|
Adjacent
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PART B: FINDING SIDES USING TRIGONOMETRY
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If you know ONE side and ONE angle, you can find any other side.
METHOD:
Step 1: Label the triangle (identify opposite, adjacent, hypotenuse)
Step 2: Identify which ratio you need (sin, cos, or tan)
Step 3: Write the ratio equation
Step 4: Rearrange to solve for the unknown
Step 5: Calculate using a calculator
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EXAMPLE 1: Find the opposite side
Given: hypotenuse = 10 cm, angle = 35°, find opposite
sin 35° = opposite / 10
opposite = 10 × sin 35°
opposite = 10 × 0.574
opposite = 5.74 cm
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EXAMPLE 2: Find the adjacent side
Given: hypotenuse = 8 m, angle = 52°, find adjacent
cos 52° = adjacent / 8
adjacent = 8 × cos 52°
adjacent = 8 × 0.616
adjacent = 4.93 m
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EXAMPLE 3: Find the hypotenuse
Given: opposite = 6 cm, angle = 40°, find hypotenuse
sin 40° = 6 / hypotenuse
hypotenuse = 6 / sin 40°
hypotenuse = 6 / 0.643
hypotenuse = 9.33 cm
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REARRANGEMENT RULES:
If sin θ = a/b, then:
a = b × sin θ (multiply by b)
b = a / sin θ (divide by sin θ)
Same applies to cos and tan.
KEY RULE: If the unknown is in the NUMERATOR, multiply.
If the unknown is in the DENOMINATOR, divide.
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PART C: FINDING ANGLES USING INVERSE TRIGONOMETRY
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If you know TWO sides, you can find the angle.
Use the INVERSE functions (sin■¹, cos■¹, tan■¹ on your calculator).
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EXAMPLE 1: Find angle using sine
Given: opposite = 5 cm, hypotenuse = 12 cm
sin θ = 5 / 12
sin θ = 0.417
θ = sin■¹(0.417)
θ = 24.6°
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EXAMPLE 2: Find angle using cosine
Given: adjacent = 7 m, hypotenuse = 10 m
cos θ = 7 / 10
cos θ = 0.7
θ = cos■¹(0.7)
θ = 45.6°
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EXAMPLE 3: Find angle using tangent
Given: opposite = 9 cm, adjacent = 12 cm
tan θ = 9 / 12
tan θ = 0.75
θ = tan■¹(0.75)
θ = 36.9°
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PART D: THE SPECIAL ANGLES (MEMORISE THESE)
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sin cos tan
30° 1/2 √3/2 1/√3
45° 1/√2 1/√2 1
60° √3/2 1/2 √3
90° 1 0 undefined
In decimal form:
30°: sin=0.5, cos=0.866, tan=0.577
45°: sin=0.707, cos=0.707, tan=1
60°: sin=0.866, cos=0.5, tan=1.732
90°: sin=1, cos=0, tan=undefined
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PART E: PYTHAGORAS' THEOREM (Used with Trigonometry)
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In a right-angled triangle:
a² + b² = c²
where c is the hypotenuse (longest side), and a, b are the other two sides.
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EXAMPLE:
If opposite = 3 and adjacent = 4, find hypotenuse:
c² = 3² + 4²
c² = 9 + 16
c² = 25
c = 5
Then use trigonometry to find angles:
tan θ = 3/4 = 0.75
θ = tan■¹(0.75) = 36.9°
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PART F: BEARINGS (Direction in Trigonometry)
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Bearings measure direction as an angle from NORTH, measured CLOCKWISE.
North = 0° (or 360°)
East = 90°
South = 180°
West = 270°
Example: A bearing of 135° means:
- Start facing north
- Turn 135° clockwise
- You're now facing southeast
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BEARINGS IN RIGHT TRIANGLES:
If a ship travels from point A to point B:
Step 1: Draw North line at point A
Step 2: Draw the path from A to B
Step 3: Measure the angle between North and the path (clockwise)
Step 4: That angle is the bearing
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PART G: ANGLES OF ELEVATION AND DEPRESSION
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ANGLE OF ELEVATION: Looking UP from horizontal to an object
ANGLE OF DEPRESSION: Looking DOWN from horizontal to an object
These are equal when two lines of sight cross (alternate angles).
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EXAMPLE:
A person standing on the ground looks up at a bird in a tree.
The angle of elevation is 35°.
If the person is 20 m away from the tree:
tan 35° = height of tree / 20
height = 20 × tan 35°
height = 20 × 0.700
height = 14 m
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PART H: TRIGONOMETRIC IDENTITIES (More Advanced)
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sin²θ + cos²θ = 1
(This is always true for any angle θ)
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tan θ = sin θ / cos θ
(Tangent equals sine divided by cosine)
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sin θ = cos(90° − θ)
cos θ = sin(90° − θ)
(Complementary angle relationships)
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PART I: SOLVING TRIGONOMETRIC EQUATIONS
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Example: Solve sin θ = 0.5, where 0° ≤ θ ≤ 360°
Step 1: Find the first solution
θ = sin■¹(0.5) = 30°
Step 2: Use the pattern to find other solutions
In a full rotation (0° to 360°), sine is positive in quadrants 1 and 2.
First solution: 30° (quadrant 1)
Second solution: 180° − 30° = 150° (quadrant 2)
ANSWER: θ = 30° or θ = 150°
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KEY PATTERNS:
For sin θ = k (where k > 0):
Solutions are in quadrants 1 and 2
If first solution is α, second is (180° − α)
For cos θ = k (where k > 0):
Solutions are in quadrants 1 and 4
If first solution is α, second is (360° − α)
For tan θ = k (where k > 0):
Solutions repeat every 180°
If first solution is α, second is (α + 180°)
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PART J: PRACTICE PROBLEMS
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BASIC PROBLEMS:
1. In a right triangle: hypotenuse = 15 cm, angle = 40°. Find the opposite side.
Answer: opposite = 15 × sin 40° = 9.64 cm
2. In a right triangle: adjacent = 8 m, angle = 55°. Find the hypotenuse.
Answer: hypotenuse = 8 / cos 55° = 13.95 m
3. In a right triangle: opposite = 7 cm, adjacent = 10 cm. Find the angle.
Answer: tan θ = 7/10 = 0.7, θ = tan■¹(0.7) = 35.0°
4. Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides 5 and 12.
Answer: c = √(25 + 144) = √169 = 13
SPECIAL ANGLES:
5. Calculate sin 30° + cos 60°.
Answer: 0.5 + 0.5 = 1
6. If sin θ = 1/2 and 0° ≤ θ ≤ 360°, find all values of θ.
Answer: θ = 30° or θ = 150°
WORD PROBLEMS:
7. A ladder leans against a wall. The ladder is 6 m long and makes an angle of
65° with the ground. How high up the wall does the ladder reach?
Solution:
sin 65° = height / 6
height = 6 × sin 65°
height = 6 × 0.906 = 5.44 m
8. From a building, the angle of depression to a car is 25°. The building is
50 m tall. How far is the car from the base of the building?
Solution:
tan 25° = 50 / distance
distance = 50 / tan 25°
distance = 50 / 0.466 = 107 m
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SUMMARY TABLE: WHEN TO USE WHICH RATIO
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You know You want Use this ratio
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Hypotenuse + angle Opposite sin θ = opposite / hyp
Hypotenuse + angle Adjacent cos θ = adjacent / hyp
Adjacent + angle Opposite tan θ = opposite / adjacent
Opposite + adjacent Angle tan■¹ (opposite / adjacent)
Hypotenuse + side Angle sin■¹ or cos■¹
Two sides Hypotenuse Pythagoras: c² = a² + b²
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