Detailed Explanation of Trigonometry

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies the relationships between the angles and
sides of triangles. It is widely used in many fields such as physics, engineering, architecture, and
even in everyday life. The core concepts of trigonometry revolve around the right triangle, where
one of the angles is 90 degrees.

Here’s a breakdown of the fundamental concepts in trigonometry:

1. Basic Definitions

In trigonometry, the most commonly studied type of triangle is the right triangle, which has one
angle equal to 90°. In such a triangle:

 Hypotenuse: The longest side, opposite the right angle.

 Opposite Side: The side opposite the angle you're considering.
 Adjacent Side: The side next to the angle you're considering, but not the hypotenuse.

These three sides allow us to define trigonometric functions that relate the angles to the ratios
of the sides.

2. Trigonometric Functions

There are six main trigonometric functions that describe the relationship between the angles
and sides of a right triangle:

1. Sine (sin)

The sine of an angle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the hypotenuse.

sin⁡(θ)=oppositehypotenuse\sin(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\
text{hypotenuse}}sin(θ)=hypotenuseopposite

2. Cosine (cos)

The cosine of an angle is the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the
hypotenuse.

cos⁡(θ)=adjacenthypotenuse\cos(\theta) = \frac{\text{adjacent}}{\
text{hypotenuse}}cos(θ)=hypotenuseadjacent

3. Tangent (tan)
The tangent of an angle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent
side.

tan⁡(θ)=oppositeadjacent\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\
text{adjacent}}tan(θ)=adjacentopposite

4. Cosecant (csc)

The cosecant is the reciprocal of sine, so it is the ratio of the hypotenuse to the opposite side.

csc⁡(θ)=1sin⁡(θ)=hypotenuseopposite\csc(\theta) = \frac{1}{\sin(\theta)} = \frac{\

text{hypotenuse}}{\text{opposite}}csc(θ)=sin(θ)1=oppositehypotenuse

5. Secant (sec)

The secant is the reciprocal of cosine, so it is the ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side.

sec⁡(θ)=1cos⁡(θ)=hypotenuseadjacent\sec(\theta) = \frac{1}{\cos(\theta)} = \frac{\

text{hypotenuse}}{\text{adjacent}}sec(θ)=cos(θ)1=adjacenthypotenuse

6. Cotangent (cot)

The cotangent is the reciprocal of tangent, so it is the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite
side.

cot⁡(θ)=1tan⁡(θ)=adjacentopposite\cot(\theta) = \frac{1}{\tan(\theta)} = \frac{\text{adjacent}}{\

text{opposite}}cot(θ)=tan(θ)1=oppositeadjacent

3. The Unit Circle

The unit circle is a circle with a radius of 1, centered at the origin of a coordinate plane. It is an
important tool in trigonometry because it allows us to extend the definitions of the trigonometric
functions beyond just right triangles and apply them to all angles, including those greater than
90°.

 In the unit circle, an angle θ\thetaθ is represented as the angle between the positive x-axis
and the line from the origin to a point on the circle.
 The coordinates of any point on the unit circle are given by (cos⁡(θ),sin⁡(θ))(\cos(\theta), \
sin(\theta))(cos(θ),sin(θ)).
 The trigonometric functions of θ\thetaθ can be defined in terms of this circle:
o cos⁡(θ)\cos(\theta)cos(θ) is the x-coordinate.
o sin⁡(θ)\sin(\theta)sin(θ) is the y-coordinate.
4. Trigonometric Identities

There are several important identities in trigonometry that help simplify expressions and solve
problems:

1. Pythagorean Identity

The most fundamental identity is the Pythagorean identity, which is derived from the
Pythagorean theorem:

sin⁡2(θ)+cos⁡2(θ)=1\sin^2(\theta) + \cos^2(\theta) = 1sin2(θ)+cos2(θ)=1

This identity holds true for all angles θ\thetaθ and can be used to derive other identities.

2. Sum and Difference Formulas

These identities allow you to calculate the sine, cosine, or tangent of the sum or difference of two
angles:

 Sine Sum:

sin⁡(A+B)=sin⁡(A)cos⁡(B)+cos⁡(A)sin⁡(B)\sin(A + B) = \sin(A)\cos(B) + \cos(A)\

sin(B)sin(A+B)=sin(A)cos(B)+cos(A)sin(B)

 Cosine Sum:

cos⁡(A+B)=cos⁡(A)cos⁡(B)−sin⁡(A)sin⁡(B)\cos(A + B) = \cos(A)\cos(B) - \sin(A)\

sin(B)cos(A+B)=cos(A)cos(B)−sin(A)sin(B)

 Tangent Sum:

tan⁡(A+B)=tan⁡(A)+tan⁡(B)1−tan⁡(A)tan⁡(B)\tan(A + B) = \frac{\tan(A) + \tan(B)}{1 - \

tan(A)\tan(B)}tan(A+B)=1−tan(A)tan(B)tan(A)+tan(B)

3. Double Angle Formulas

These are special cases of the sum formulas when the two angles are the same:

 Sine Double Angle:

sin⁡(2θ)=2sin⁡(θ)cos⁡(θ)\sin(2\theta) = 2\sin(\theta)\cos(\theta)sin(2θ)=2sin(θ)cos(θ)

 Cosine Double Angle:

cos⁡(2θ)=cos⁡2(θ)−sin⁡2(θ)\cos(2\theta) = \cos^2(\theta) - \sin^2(\theta)cos(2θ)=cos2(θ)

−sin2(θ)
4. Tangent and Cotangent Identities

 Tangent of an angle:

tan⁡(θ)=sin⁡(θ)cos⁡(θ)\tan(\theta) = \frac{\sin(\theta)}{\cos(\theta)}tan(θ)=cos(θ)sin(θ)

 Cotangent of an angle:

cot⁡(θ)=1tan⁡(θ)=cos⁡(θ)sin⁡(θ)\cot(\theta) = \frac{1}{\tan(\theta)} = \frac{\cos(\theta)}{\

sin(\theta)}cot(θ)=tan(θ)1=sin(θ)cos(θ)

5. Applications of Trigonometry

Trigonometry is not just about solving triangles; it has a vast array of real-world applications,
including:

 Navigation: Using trigonometric functions to determine distance and angles between

locations.
 Physics: Analyzing wave motion, sound, light, and the forces in mechanical systems.
 Architecture: Calculating the angles and dimensions for constructing buildings, bridges,
and other structures.
 Astronomy: Measuring distances between celestial objects and calculating their
positions.

6. Solving Trigonometric Equations

One of the primary uses of trigonometry is to solve equations involving trigonometric functions.
For example, given:

sin⁡(θ)=12\sin(\theta) = \frac{1}{2}sin(θ)=21

We can solve for θ\thetaθ by finding the angle whose sine is 12\frac{1}{2}21. In this case,
θ=30∘\theta = 30^\circθ=30∘ or θ=150∘\theta = 150^\circθ=150∘ within one full revolution (0°
to 360°).

7. Inverse Trigonometric Functions

Inverse trigonometric functions are used to find the angle when the value of the trigonometric
function is known. They are denoted as:
  sin⁡−1(x)\sin^{-1}(x)sin−1(x) or arcsin(x): The inverse of sine.
 cos⁡−1(x)\cos^{-1}(x)cos−1(x) or arccos(x): The inverse of cosine.
 tan⁡−1(x)\tan^{-1}(x)tan−1(x) or arctan(x): The inverse of tangent.

These functions are useful for finding angles in triangles when the sides are known but the angles
are unknown.