5.

2 Evaluating Trigonometric
Ratios for Special Angles

GOAL YOU WILL NEED

• ruler
Evaluate exact values of sine, cosine, and tangent for specific angles. • protractor

LEARN ABOUT the Math

The diagonal of a square of side length 1 unit creates two congruent right isosceles
triangles. The height of an equilateral triangle of side length 2 units creates two
congruent right scalene triangles.

B E

45⬚
30⬚
2

45⬚ 60⬚
A C D
1 F

? How can isosceles ^ ABC and scalene ^ DEF be used to determine

the exact values of the primary trigonometric ratios for 308, 458,
and 608 angles?

EXAMPLE 1 Evaluating exact values of the trigonometric ratios for a 458 angle

Use ^ ABC to calculate exact values of sine, cosine, and tangent for 45°.
Carol’s Solution

45⬚ BC 2 5 AB 2 1 AC 2 I labelled the sides of the triangle relative to /B. The

BC 2 5 12 1 12 triangle is isosceles with equal sides of length 1. I used
2
adjacent
hy

1 BC 2 5 2 the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the length of the

po

BC 5 ! 2
te

hypotenuse.
n us
e

opposite 45⬚
A C
1

Chapter 5 Trigonometric Ratios 283

 opposite adjacent opposite I wrote the primary trigonometric
sin B 5 cos B 5 tan B 5
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent ratios for /B.

1 1 1
!2 !2
sin 45° 5 cos 45° 5 tan 45° 5
1 If I multiplied both the numerator
1 3 !2 1 3 !2 and denominator by ! 2, I would
!2 3 !2 !2 3 !2
5 5 51 get an equivalent number with a
whole-number denominator.

This would be an easier number

!2 !2 to use to estimate the size, since
I knew that ! 2 is about 1.4, so
5 5
2 2
!2 !2 half of it is about 0.7.
The exact values of sine, cosine, and tangent for 45° are 2 , 2 , and 1,
respectively.

EXAMPLE 2 Evaluating exact values of the trigonometric ratios for 308 and 608 angles

Use ^ DEF to calculate exact values of sine, cosine, and tangent for 30° and 60°.
Trevor’s Solution

DE 2 5 DF 2 1 EF 2 I labelled the sides of the triangle

30⬚ 2 2 2 relative to /D. Since the height of an
2 5 1 1 EF
equilateral triangle divides the triangle
use

2 4 5 1 1 EF 2
opposite

3 into two smaller identical triangles, DF

ten

1
po

3 5 EF 2 is equal to 2 DE. So DF must be 1. I

hy

used the Pythagorean theorem to

60⬚ ! 3 5 EF calculate the length of EF.
adjacent
D F
1

opposite adjacent opposite I wrote the primary trigonometric

sin D 5 cos D 5 tan D 5
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent ratios for /D.

EF DF EF
sin D 5 cos D 5 tan D 5
DE DE DF
!3 1 !3
sin 60° 5 cos 60° 5 tan 60° 5
2 2 1
5 !3
I wrote the primary trigonometric
DF EF DF
sin E 5 cos E 5 tan E 5 ratios for /E in terms of the sides
DE DE EF of the triangle.

284 5.2 Evaluating Trigonometric Ratios for Special Angles

 1 !3 1 If I multiplied both the numerator
sin 30° 5
2
cos 30° 5
2
tan 30° 5
!3 and denominator by !3, I would
get an equivalent number with a
1 3 !3 whole-number denominator. This
!3 3 !3
5
is an easier number to estimate,
since ! 3 is about 1.7, so a third
!3
5 of it is about 0.57.
3
I noticed that sin E and cos E are
sin E 5 cos D cos E 5 sin D tan E 5 cot D equal to cos D and sin D,
respectively. I also noticed that
sin 30° 5 cos 60° cos 30° 5 sin 60° tan 30° 5 cot 60°
tan E is equal to the reciprocal of
1 "3 "3 tan D.
The exact values of sine, cosine, and tangent for 30° are 2, 2 , and 3 , respectively
"3 1
and for 60° are 2 , 2, and ! 3 , respectively.

Reflecting
A. In Example 1, would you get the same results if you used /C for the 45°
angle instead of /B? Explain.
B. Explain how sin 30° and cos 60° are related.
C. In Example 2, explain why the reciprocal ratios of tan 30° and cot 60° are equal.
D. How can remembering that a 30°260°290° triangle is half of an equilateral
triangle and that a 45°245°290° triangle is isosceles help you recall the exact
values of the primary trigonometric ratios for the angles in those triangles?

APPLY the Math

EXAMPLE 3 Determining the exact value of a trigonometric
expression

Determine the exact value of (sin 45°) (cos 45°) 1 (sin 30°) (sin 60°).

Tina’s Solution
(sin 45°) (cos 45°) 1 (sin 30°) (sin 60°)
! 2 !2 1 !3
5a ba b 1 a ba b I substituted the exact values of
2 2 2 2 each trigonometric ratio.

2 !3 I evaluated the expression by

5 1
4 4 multiplying, then adding the
2 1 !3 numerators.
5
4
2 1 !3
The exact value is 4 .

Chapter 5 Trigonometric Ratios 285

 In Summary
Key Idea
• The exact values of the primary trigonometric ratios for 30°, 45°, and 60°
angles can be found by using the appropriate ratios of sides in isosceles right
triangles and half-equilateral triangles with right angles. These are often
referred to as “special triangles.”

B E

45⬚
30⬚
2 2
1 3

45⬚ 60⬚
A C D F
1 1

u sin u cos u tan u

1 !3 !3
30° 5 0.5 8 0.8660 8 0.5774
2 2 3

!2 !2
45° 8 0.7071 8 0.7071 1
2 2

!3
! 3 8 1.7321
1
60° 8 0.8660 5 0.5
2 2

Need to Know
• Since tan 45° 5 1, angles between 0° and 45° have tangent ratios that are less
than 1, and angles between 45° and 90° have tangent ratios greater than 1.
• If a right triangle has one side that is half the length of the hypotenuse,
the angle opposite that one side is always 30°.
• If a right triangle has two equal sides, then the angles opposite those sides are
always 45°.

CHECK Your Understanding

1. a) Draw a right triangle that has one angle measuring 30°. Label the sides
using the lengths ! 3, 2, and 1. Explain your reasoning.
b) Identify the adjacent and opposite sides relative to the 30° angle.
c) Identify the adjacent and opposite sides relative to the 60° angle.
2. a) Draw a right triangle that has one angle measuring 45°. Label the sides
using the lengths 1, 1, and ! 2. Explain your reasoning.
b) Identify the adjacent and opposite sides relative to one of the 45° angles.
3. State the exact values.
a) sin 60° b) cos 30° c) tan 45° d) cos 45°

286 Chapter 5.2 Evaluating Trigonometric Ratios for Special Angles

PRACTISING Communication Tip
2
4. Determine the exact value of each trigonometric expression. tan 30° 5 (tan 30°) (tan 30°) .
K 2 2 The expression is squared, not
a) sin 30° 3 tan 60° 2 cos 30° c) tan 30° 2 cos 45°
sin 45° the angle.
b) 2 cos 45° 3 sin 45° d) 1 2
cos 45°
5. Using exact values, show that sin2 u 1 cos2 u 5 1 for each angle.
a) u 5 30° b) u 5 45° c) u 5 60°
sin u
6. Using exact values, show that cos u 5 tan u for each angle.

a) u 5 30° b) u 5 45° c) u 5 60°

7. Using the appropriate special triangle, determine u if 0° # u # 90°.
!3
a) sin u 5 c) 2 ! 2 cos u 5 2
2
b) ! 3 tan u 5 1 d) 2 cos u 5 ! 3
8. A 5 m stepladder propped against a classroom wall forms an angle of 30°
A with the wall. Exactly how far is the top of the ladder from the floor? Express
your answer in radical form. What assumption did you make?
1 1
9. Show that tan 30° 1 5 .
tan 30° sin 30° cos 30°
10. A baseball diamond forms a square of side length 27.4 m. Sarah says that she
used a special triangle to calculate the distance between home plate and
second base.
a) Describe how Sarah might calculate this distance.
b) Use Sarah’s method to calculate this distance to the nearest tenth of a metre.
11. Determine the exact area of each large triangle.
T !3
a) tan a 5 1 b) cos b 5
C 2 Q
45⬚
P
B
␤

A ␣ 6 60⬚ 13 R

S
12. To claim a prize in a contest, the following skill-testing question was asked:
C Calculate sin 45° (1 2 cos 30°) 1 5 tan 60° (sin 60° 2 tan 30°).
a) Louise used a calculator to evaluate the expression. Determine her answer
to three decimal places.
b) Megan used exact values. Determine her answer in radical form.
c) Only Megan received the prize. Explain why this might have occurred.

Chapter 5 Trigonometric Ratios 287