Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

MODULE IN MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENCES (TRIGONOMETRY)

UNIT 1: Foundations of Trigonometry in Physics Education

Trigonometry is one of the most important mathematical tools used in physics. Nearly every branch of physics—
from mechanics and electricity to waves and quantum mechanics—requires an understanding of angles, triangles, and
trigonometric relationships. This module introduces students to the fundamental concepts of trigonometry and demonstrates
how these concepts are applied to solving real-world physics problems involving motion, forces, and vectors.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this module, students must be able to:

1. Explain the importance of measurements and angles in physics.

MEASUREMENTS AND ANGLES

INTRODUCTION:

Every physical measurement consists of a numerical value and a unit. Many physical quantities, such as
displacement, force, and velocity, also require a direction. Angles provide a way to describe direction accurately.

An angle is formed when two rays are joined together at a common point. The common point here is called node or
vertex and the two rays are called arms of the angle. The angle is represented by symbol “z”. The word angle came from
the Latin word “Angulus”

B
Vertex
Sides

A C
TYPES OF ANGLES:

C
POSITIVE ANGLE- An angle measured in Anti-Clockwise direction is
Positive Angle.

NEGATIVE ANGLE-An angle measured in Clockwise direction is

MEASURING AN ANGLE

Degree: One degree (1°) is a rotation of 1/360 of a complete revolution about vertex. There are 360 degrees in one
full rotation which is the terminal side going all the way around the circle.

Radian: One Radian is the measure of a central angle that intercepts an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle.
Since the radian is measured in terms of r on the arc of a circle and the complete circumference of the circle is 2πr then
there are 2π. Since 360° radians in one full rotation radians, this gives us a way to convert between degrees and radians.

NOTE: By convention if the units are not specified, they are radians

180° = π radians

CONVERTING DEGREES AND RADIANS

Considering the most basic case, the unit circle (a circle with radius 1), we know that 1 rotation equals 360
degrees, 360°. We can also track one rotation around a circle by finding the circumference, C=2πr , and for the unit circle
C=2πr .These two different ways to rotate around a circle give us a way to convert from degrees to radians.

1 rotation = 360° = 2π radians

1
𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 180° = 𝜋
2
1 𝜋
𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 90° =
4 2

Identifying Special Angles Measured in Radians

In addition to knowing the measurements in degrees and radians of a quarter revolution, a half revolution, and a full
revolution, there are other frequently encountered angles in one revolution of a circle with which we should be familiar. It
is common to encounter multiples of 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees.
EXAMPLE: Find the radian measure of one-third of a full rotation.

𝜋
To convert from Degrees → radians = degrees ×
180

180
To convert from radians → degrees = radians ×
𝜋

Example:

1. Consider the following two angles: 240° and -120°. Sketch them and convert to radians.

If we sketch these two angles from example 1 on a single graph and in standard position, notice that they look
exactly the same. Since these two angles terminate at the same place, we call them COTERMINAL ANGLES (end up in
the same position but have different angle measures.)

There are infinite number of ways to draw an angle on the coordinate axes. By
simply adding or subtracting 360° (or 2𝜋 rad). For example, draw the angles

240° + 360° = 600° and -120°-360°= 480° .

Examples

2. Convert 30° and -210° to radians, sketch the angle and find two coterminal angles (one positive and one negative).
𝜋 5𝜋
3. Convert 𝑎𝑛𝑑 − degrees, sketch the angles and find two coterminal angles for each (one positive and one
4 6
negative).
4. Convert 1 radian to degrees
𝜋
5. Convert to radius
5
 TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS

The six basic Trigonometric Functions

Trigonometric functions allow us to use angle measures, in radians or degrees, to find the coordinates of a point on any
circle—not only on a unit circle—or to find an angle given a point on a circle. They also define the relationship between
the sides and angles of a triangle.

To define the trigonometric functions, first consider the unit circle centered at the origin and a point P = (x, y) on the unit
circle. Let 𝜃 be an angle with an initial side that lies along the positive x-axis and with a terminal side that is the line segment
OP.

The trigonometric functions are then defined as:

See that for point P = (x, y) on the circle of radius r with a corresponding angle 𝜃, the coordinates x and y satisfy:
𝑥
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 =
𝑟
x= r cos 𝜃

𝑦
𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 =
𝑟
y = r sin 𝜃
The values of the other trigonometric functions can be expressed in terms of x, y, and r.
EXAMPLE
2𝜋
1. 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( )
3
5𝜋
2. 𝑐𝑜𝑠 (− )
6
15𝜋
3. 𝑡𝑎𝑛 ( )
4
3𝜋
4. 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( )
4
𝜋
5. 𝑠𝑖𝑛 (− )
6

The rations of the side lengths of a right triangle can be expressed in terms of the trigonometric functions
evaluated at either of the acute angles of the triangle. Let A be the length of the adjacent leg, O be the length of the
opposite leg, and H be the length of the hypotenuse. By inscribing the triangle into a circle of radius H. A, H, and O
satisfy the following relationships 𝜃

Examples:

1. Given the following triangle find the six trigonometric functions of the angles 𝜃 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ∝.

.
𝜋
2. Suppose 𝜃 is an angle such that tan 𝜃 = 5 𝑎𝑛𝑑 0 ≤ 𝜃 ≤ , solve for the other five trigonometric functions.
2
3. Use the triangle below to find the lengths of the other two sides, x and y. Angle is 60°.

4. Benjamin is 6 feet tall and casts of a 10-foot shadow when he is standing 20feet from the base of the street light.
What is the height of the street light?