TRIGONOMETRY
Complete Beginner-to-Foundation Workbook
Lessons 1–7 • Notes • Exercises • Final Exam • Answer Sheet
Designed for a student starting from zero. Uses Perpendicular (P), Base (B), and Hypotenuse (H)
terminology.
How to use this book: Read the notes → solve the exercises without looking at answers → take the final
exam → check the answer sheet at the very end.
PART A — NOTES & EXERCISES
Lesson 1: Right-Angled Triangle and Basic Ratios
A right-angled triangle has one angle equal to 90°. Relative to the chosen angle θ:
• Perpendicular (P): the side opposite θ.
• Base (B): the side next to θ (not the hypotenuse).
• Hypotenuse (H): the longest side, opposite the 90° angle.
Basic trigonometric ratios
sin θ = P/H
cos θ = B/H
tan θ = P/B
Memory: Sine → P/H, Cosine → B/H, Tangent → P/B.
Pythagoras' theorem: H² = P² + B²
Example: If P = 3 and B = 4, then H = √(3² + 4²) = 5. Therefore sin θ = 3/5, cos θ = 4/5, tan θ = 3/4.
Exercise 1
1. P = 6, H = 10. Find sin θ.
2. B = 12, H = 13. Find cos θ.
3. P = 5, B = 12. Find H, sin θ, cos θ and tan θ.
4. If tan θ = 3/4 and P = 3, find B.
Lesson 2: Special Angles
The most important angles are 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°.
θ 0° 30° 45° 60° 90°
sin θ 0 1/2 √2/2 √3/2 1
cos θ 1 √3/2 √2/2 1/2 0
tan θ 0 1/√3 1 √3 Not defined
Special-angle trick: For sine, use √0/2, √1/2, √2/2, √3/2, √4/2 for 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°. Cosine is the
same list in reverse order.
Exercise 2
1. Find sin 30°.
2. Find cos 60°.
3. Find tan 45°.
4. Find sin 60°.
5. Find cos 30°.
6. Find tan 60°.
7. Find sin 60° + cos 60°.
Lesson 3: Fundamental Trigonometric Identity
The most important identity is:
sin²θ + cos²θ = 1
This comes directly from Pythagoras. Since sin θ = P/H and cos θ = B/H:
sin²θ + cos²θ = P²/H² + B²/H² = (P² + B²)/H² = H²/H² = 1.
Therefore:
sin²θ = 1 − cos²θ
cos²θ = 1 − sin²θ
Example: If sin θ = 3/5, then sin²θ = 9/25. Therefore cos²θ = 16/25, so cos θ = 4/5 for an acute angle.
Exercise 3
1. If sin θ = 5/13, find cos θ (θ acute).
2. If cos θ = 8/17, find sin θ (θ acute).
3. If sin²θ = 9/25, find cos²θ.
4. Verify the identity for sin θ = 3/5 and cos θ = 4/5.
Lesson 4: Reciprocal Ratios
The other three ratios are reciprocals:
cosec θ = 1/sin θ = H/P
sec θ = 1/cos θ = H/B
cot θ = 1/tan θ = B/P
Important relationships:
tan θ = sin θ/cos θ
cot θ = cos θ/sin θ
sec θ · cos θ = 1
cosec θ · sin θ = 1
Example: If sin θ = 3/5 and cos θ = 4/5, then tan θ = (3/5)/(4/5) = 3/4 and cot θ = 4/3.
Exercise 4
1. If sin θ = 5/13, find cosec θ.
2. If cos θ = 12/13, find sec θ.
3. If tan θ = 3/4, find cot θ.
4. If sin θ = 3/5 and cos θ = 4/5, find tan θ and cot θ.
Lesson 5: Algebra with Trigonometric Ratios
Treat sin θ and cos θ like algebraic quantities. Substitute carefully, simplify fractions, and use identities
when needed.
Example: Simplify (sin θ + cos θ)/(sin θ − cos θ) when the expression is known to equal 4.
sin θ + cos θ = 4(sin θ − cos θ)
sin θ + cos θ = 4sin θ − 4cos θ
5cos θ = 3sin θ
tan θ = sin θ/cos θ = 5/3.
This gives a P:B ratio of 5:3. Using Pythagoras, H = √34. Hence sin θ = 5/√34 and cos θ = 3/√34.
Then sin²θ − cos²θ = 25/34 − 9/34 = 8/17.
Exercise 5
1. If (sin θ + cos θ)/(sin θ − cos θ) = 3, find tan θ.
2. If tan θ = 5/12, find sin θ and cos θ for an acute θ.
3. Simplify: (1 + tan²θ).
4. Simplify: (1 − cos²θ).
Lesson 6: Trigonometric Simplification
Use identities to turn complicated expressions into simple ones.
Key identities:
sin²θ + cos²θ = 1
1 + tan²θ = sec²θ
1 + cot²θ = cosec²θ
Example: 1 − cos²θ = sin²θ.
Example: 1 + tan²θ = sec²θ.
Exercise 6
1. Simplify: 1 − sin²θ.
2. Simplify: 1 + cot²θ.
3. Simplify: sec²θ − 1.
4. Simplify: cosec²θ − 1.
5. If tan θ = 3/4, find sec²θ.
Lesson 7: How to Attack Difficult Questions
Step 1: Identify what is given.
Step 2: Decide whether you need P, B, H, a special angle, or an identity.
Step 3: Write the correct formula before substituting.
Step 4: Simplify step by step.
Step 5: Check whether the final answer is reasonable.
Useful strategy: If tan θ = P/B, imagine a right triangle with those values. Then use Pythagoras to find H,
and obtain sin θ or cos θ.
Exercise 7
1. If tan θ = 3/4, find sin θ and cos θ.
2. If tan θ = 5/12, find sec θ.
3. If sin θ = 8/17, find tan θ (θ acute).
4. If cos θ = 5/13, find cot θ (θ acute).
5. Simplify (sin²θ + cos²θ)/(1 + tan²θ).
PART B — FINAL EXAM
Time: 60 minutes Total: 50 marks
Instructions: Show all working. Do not use the answer sheet until you finish. Assume angles are acute
wherever necessary.
Section A — 1 mark each (10 marks)
1. Write sin θ in terms of P and H.
2. Write cos θ in terms of B and H.
3. Write tan θ in terms of P and B.
4. Find sin 30°.
5. Find cos 60°.
6. Find tan 45°.
7. State the identity sin²θ + cos²θ = ____.
8. Write the reciprocal of cos θ.
9. If P = 3 and B = 4, find H.
10. Find tan 60°.
Section B — 2 marks each (10 marks)
11. If P = 5 and H = 13, find sin θ and cos θ.
12. If B = 12 and H = 13, find sin θ and tan θ.
13. If tan θ = 3/4, find sin θ and cos θ.
14. Simplify 1 − cos²θ.
15. Find cosec 30° and sec 60°.
Section C — 3 marks each (15 marks)
16. If sin θ = 5/13, find cos θ, tan θ and sec θ.
17. If cos θ = 8/17, find sin θ, tan θ and cot θ.
18. Prove that 1 + tan²θ = sec²θ using sin²θ + cos²θ = 1.
19. Simplify: (1 + tan²θ)/(sec²θ).
20. If (sin θ + cos θ)/(sin θ − cos θ) = 3, find tan θ.
Section D — 5 marks each (15 marks)
21. If tan θ = 5/12, find sin θ, cos θ, sec θ and cosec θ.
22. Simplify: [1/(1 + cos θ)] + [1/(1 − cos θ)] and express the answer using sin θ.
23. If (sin θ + cos θ)/(sin θ − cos θ) = 4, find sin²θ − cos²θ.
PART C — ANSWER SHEET
Exercise 1: 1. 3/5 2. 12/13 3. H=13, sin=5/13, cos=12/13, tan=5/12 4. B=4
Exercise 2: 1. 1/2 2. 1/2 3. 1 4. √3/2 5. √3/2 6. √3 7. (√3+1)/2
Exercise 3: 1. 12/13 2. 15/17 3. 16/25 4. 9/25 + 16/25 = 1
Exercise 4: 1. 13/5 2. 13/12 3. 4/3 4. tan=3/4, cot=4/3
Exercise 5: 1. tan θ=2 2. sin=5/13, cos=12/13 3. sec²θ 4. sin²θ
Exercise 6: 1. cos²θ 2. cosec²θ 3. tan²θ 4. cot²θ 5. 25/16
Exercise 7: 1. sin=3/5, cos=4/5 2. 13/12 3. 8/15 4. 5/12 5. cos²θ
FINAL EXAM — ANSWERS
1. P/H 2. B/H 3. P/B 4. 1/2 5. 1/2 6. 1 7. 1 8. sec θ 9. 5 10. √3
11. sin=5/13, cos=12/13 12. sin=5/13, tan=5/12 13. sin=3/5, cos=4/5 14. sin²θ 15. 2, 2
16. cos=12/13, tan=5/12, sec=13/12 17. sin=15/17, tan=15/8, cot=8/15 18. Divide sin²+cos²=1 by cos² 19. 1 20. tan θ=2
21. sin=5/13, cos=12/13, sec=13/12, cosec=13/5 22. 2/sin²θ 23. 8/17
End of Workbook