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Trigonometry Proofs and Concepts

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6 views7 pages

Trigonometry Proofs and Concepts

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TRIGONMETRY NOTES – Grade 10, 11 and 12

Grade 10
Reduction Formulae
As the positive angle θ rotates anticlockwise
from positive x axis about the origin, the
signs of x and y change and so the
trigonometric ratios also change – this is also
true for negative angles rotating clockwise
from the positive x axis about the origin.
The reduction formulae you need to know:

Prove that sin2x + cos2x = 1

STEP 1: LHS = sin2x + cos2x

STEP 2: = (y/r)2 / (x/r)2

STEP 3: = (y2/r2) / (x2/r2)

STEP 4: = (y2 + x2)/r2

Remember: y2 + x2 = r2 (Pythagoras’s Theorem)

STEP 5: = r2/r2

STEP 6: =1

= RHS

Prove that tanθ = sinθ /cosθ

STEP 1: LHS = Tanθ = y/x

STEP 2: RHS = Sinθ/Cosθ


𝑦 𝑥
= /( )
𝑟 𝑟

= y/x (as the r cancels out!)

STEP 3: LHS = RHS

Common questions

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The expression for tanθ is shown to be equal to sinθ/cosθ by expressing both in terms of the same ratio. Tan(θ) is defined as the ratio of the opposite side over the adjacent side, which is y/x. Sin(θ) is y/r and cos(θ) is x/r. Therefore, sinθ/cosθ is (y/r)/(x/r) = y/x once you cancel out the r terms, making tanθ equivalent to sinθ/cosθ .

As an angle rotates from the positive x-axis around the origin, the coordinates (x, y) used to define trigonometric ratios such as sine and cosine change. Specifically, these coordinates switch sign depending on the quadrant into which the terminal side of the angle moves. For example, in the first quadrant, both x and y are positive, while in the second quadrant, x becomes negative but y remains positive. This switch in sign affects the calculation of trigonometric ratios, leading to different outputs for sine and cosine as angles cross quadrant boundaries .

The reduction formulae imply that as the angle θ changes due to rotation around the origin, from the positive x-axis, the signs of the trigonometric ratios also change. This is because the signs of x and y, which are used to compute trigonometric functions, change based on the quadrant in which the angle lies. Positive and negative rotations result in different trigonometric sign outcomes, which must be adjusted according to each quadrant's characteristics .

Understanding trigonometric identities in conjunction with the Pythagorean Theorem bridges the concepts of algebra and geometry, particularly in two-dimensional spaces. The identity sin²x + cos²x = 1 is essentially a restatement of the Pythagorean Theorem when considering a unit circle, embedding algebraic manipulation into geometric visualization. This provides a powerful insight into how distances and angles interact in the plane, permitting both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of figures like triangles and circles, and aiding in solving geometric problems analytically .

The identity sin²x + cos²x = 1 is derived using Pythagoras's Theorem by considering a right triangle in the unit circle. In this setting, sin(x) represents the opposite side (y) over the hypotenuse (r), and cos(x) represents the adjacent side (x) over the hypotenuse (r). Thus, sin²x is (y²/r²) and cos²x is (x²/r²). According to Pythagoras's Theorem, y² + x² = r², so (y² + x²)/r² = 1. This simplifies to sin²x + cos²x = 1 .

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