1

Trigonometry
Trigonometry is the study of triangles by applying the relations between the sides and the
angles.
Two Branches of Trigonometry:
1. Plane Trigonometry deals with triangles in the two dimensions of the plane.
2. Spherical Trigonometry concerns with triangles extracted from the surface of the
sphere.
Plane Angle:
The plane angle XOP in the figure is formed by the two rays OX and OP. The point O is
Called the vertex and the half lines are called the sides of the angle.






OX is called the initial side while OP is called the terminal side.
Positive Angle if the direction of rotation is counter clockwise.
Negative Angle if the direction of rotation is clockwise.
Measures of Angles:
Degree () is the measure of the central angle subtended by an arc of a circle equal to
1/360.
Minute is () 1/60 of a degree; a second () is 1/60 of a minute, or 1/3600
of a degree.
Radian (rad) is defined as the measure of the central angle subtended by an arc of the
circle equal to the radius of the circle.







Relations between radian, gradient, and degree: 360 = 2 1 degree = 60 min or 60
180 = 1 min = 60 sec or 60
90 deg = 100 grad
rad = 180 deg.
360 = 6400 mills

Grad an angular unit equivalent to 1/400 of the circumference of the circle.

2

Arc Lenght
On a circle of radius r, a central angle of radians, intercepts an arc of length
S = r






Area of a Sector
The area K of a sector of a circle, the shaded part in the figure, with radius r and central
angle radians is.
K = 1/2r
2






Angular Velocity
The relationship between the linear velocity v and the angular velocity w (greek letter
Omega) for an object with radius r is
v = rw; w = /t
Where w is measured in radians per unit of time, t is time, and v is distance per unit of
time.
Polygons:
3 sides triangle 8 sides - Octagon
4 sides quadrangle 9 sides - Nonagon
5 sides pentagon 10 sides - Decagon
6 sides hexagon 12 sides - Dodecagon
7 sides heptagon (septagon) 15 sides Quindecagon

Formulas: 1. Sum of Interior Angles: S = (n 2)180
2. Each Interior Angle (), regular polygon: = (n 2)180
n
3. Number of Diagonal: D = n(n 3) where: n = no. of sides
2



3

Angles in Standard Position:
An angle is said to be in standard position when its vertex is at the origin and its initial
side coincides with the positive x axis.

An angle is said to be a first quadrant angle or to be in the first quadrant if, when in
standard position its terminal side falls in that quadrant.

Two angles which, when placed in standard position, have coincident terminal sides are
called coterminal angles.

The angles 0, 90, 180 and 270 and all the angles coterminal with them are called
quadrantal angles

Trigonometric Functions of a General Angle











4

Quadrant Signs of the Functions













Trigonometric Functions of Quadrantal Angles







Complementary Angles two angles whose sum is 90 or right angle.
Supplementary Angles two angles whose sum is equal to 180
The Unit Circle a circle of radius 1










5

















Basic Trigonometric Functions: (Trigonometric Functions of Acute Angle)
Sine = opposite Cosecant = 1 = hypotenuse
Hypotenuse Sine opposite
Cosine = adjacent Secant = 1 = hypotenuse
Hypotenuse Cosine adjacent
Tangent = opposite Cotangent = 1 = adjacent
Adjacent Tangent opposite
Sin A = a/c = Cos (90 A) Cot A = b/a = 1/Tan A
Cos A = b/c = Sin (90 A) Sec A = c/b = 1/Cos A
Tan A = a/b = Cot (90 A) Csc A = c/a = 1/Sin A
Angle of Elevation and Angle of Depression:
Angle of Elevation angle between the horizontal and the line of sight which is above
the horizontal.
Angle of Depression angle between the horizontal and the line of sight which is below
the horizontal.



6

Two General Classifications of Plane Triangle:
1. Right Triangle a triangle that has a right angle.
2. Oblique Triangle a triangle that does not have a right angle. Acute triangle and
Obtuse triangles are oblique triangles.
Isosceles triangle (triangle with two sides equal and two angles
Equal) could be a right triangle or an oblique triangle.
Important Properties of a Triangle:
1. The sum of two sides of a triangle is greater than the third side and their difference is
less than the third side.
2. The perpendicular bisectors of the sides and the bisectors of the angles of a triangle,
Meet in points which are the center of the circumscribing circle the inscribe circle,
respectively.
3. The altitudes of a triangle meet in a point.
Important Points in a Triangle:
1. Circumcenter the point of concurrency of the perpendicular bisectors of the sides of
a triangle.
2. Inocenter the point of concurrency of the angle bisector of a triangle.
3. Orthocenter the point of concurrency of the altitudes of a triangle.
Conditions for two triangles to be congruent:
Two triangles are congruent if the elements of one triangle are equal to the
Corresponding parts of the other triangle.
The following are conditions for congruency:
1. Two sides and the included angle are equal.
2. Three sides are equal.
3. One side and adjoining angles are equal.
Conditions for two triangles to be similar:
1. Two corresponding sides are proportional; included angles are equal.
2. Three sides are proportional.
3. Two angles are equal.
The Right Triangle
Basic Properties: B
1. a
2
+ b
2
= c
2
(Pythagorean Theorem)
2. A + B + C = 180, A + B = 90 a c
3. Area = ab/2
C b A




7

Functions of Special Triangles:
60 Sin 30 = 45 Sin 45 = 1/
2 1 Cos 30 = /2 Cos 45 = 1
Tan 30 = 1/ 1 Tan 45 = 1
Sin 60 =
30 Cos 60 = 45
Tan 60 = 1

Direction and Bearing:
Direction the angle of path of a moving object referred from the standard directions.
Bearing the angle of the line of sight on a stationary object referred from the standard
directions.





Reductions to Functions of Positive Acute Angles
1. Coterminal Angles (where n: any positive or negative integer or zero)
Sin ( + n360) = sin cot ( + n360) = cot
Cos ( + n360) = cos sec ( + n360) = sec
Tan( + n360) = tan csc ( + n360) = csc

2. Functions of a Negative Angle
Sin (-) = -sin cot (-) = -cot
Cos (-) = cos sec (-) = sec
Tan (-) = -tan csc (-) = -csc

3. Reference Angles








8

Trigonometric Identities:
1. Reciprocal Relations
Sin A = 1/csc A cot A = 1/Tan A
Cos A = 1/sec A sec A = 1/cos A
Tan A = 1/cot A csc A = 1/sin A
2. Even - Odd Identities
Sin (-) = -Sin Cot (-) = -Cot
Cos (-) = Cos Sec (-) = Sec
Tan (-) = -Tan Csc (-) = -Csc
3. Cofunction Identities
Sin = Cos (90 ) Cot = Tan (90 )
Cos = Sin (90 ) Sec = Csc (90 )
Tan = Cot (90 ) Csc = Sec (90 )
4. Pythagorean Relations
Sin
2
A + Cos
2
A = 1
1 + Cot
2
A = Csc
2
A
1 + Tan
2
A = Sec
2
A
Trigonometric Functions of Two Angles:
1. Sum of Angles formulas
Sin (A + B) = Sin A Cos B + Cos A Sin B
Cos (A + B) = Cos A Cos B Sin A Sin B
Tan (A+ B) = Tan A + Tan B
1 Tan A Tan B
2. Difference of Angles formula
Sin (A B) = Sin A Cos B Cos A Sin B Tan (A B) = Tan A Tan B
Cos (A B) = Cos A Cos B + Sin A Sin B 1 + Tan A Tan B
3. Double Angle formulas
Sin 2A = 2SinA CosA Tan2A = 2TanA
Cos 2A = Cos
2
A Sin
2
A 1 Tan
2
A
= 1- 2Sin
2
A
= 2Cos
2
A 1
4. Powers of Functions
Sin
2
A = (1 Cos2A) Tan
2
A = 1 Cos2A
Cos
2
A = (1 + Cos 2A) 1 + Cos2A
5. Functions of Half Angles
Sin A/2 = Tan A/2 = 1 CosA = SinA
Cos A/2 = SinA 1 + Cos A


9

Sum, Difference, and Product Formulas

1. Product of Two Functions
2Sin A Sin B = Cos (A B) Cos (A + B) 2CosA Sin B = Sin (A + B) - Sin (A
B)
2Sin A Cos B = Sin (A + B) + Sin (A B)
2Cos A Cos B = Cos (A + B) + Cos (A B)
2. Sum of Two Angles
Sin X + Sin Y = 2 Sin1/2(X + Y)Cos1/2(X Y)
Cos X + Cos Y = 2 Cos1/2(X + Y)Cos1/2(X Y)
Tan X+ Tan Y = Sin (X + Y)
Cos X Cos Y
3. Difference of Two Functions
Sin X Sin Y = 2Cos1/2(X + Y)Sin1/2(X Y)
Cos X Cos Y = 2Sin1/2(X + Y)Sin1/2(X Y)
Tan X Tan Y = Sin (X Y)
Cos X Cos Y
Oblique Triangles one angle is more than 90 or less than 180
Solutions to Plane Oblique Triangles:
1. Law of Sines used when two angles and one opposite side or two sides and an
Opposite angle are given.
a = b = c
Sin A Sin B Sin C
2. Law of Cosines used when two sides and the included angle or three sides are given.
a
2
= b
2
+ c
2
2bccosA
b
2
= a
2
+ c
2
2accosB
c
2
= a
2
+ b
2
2abcosC
3. Law of Tangents used when the given are two sides and the included angle.
a b = tan1/2(A B)
a + b tan1/2(A + B)
4. Mollweides Formula a + b = cos1/2(A B)
c sin1/2C






10

Formulas for the Area of the Triangle:
1. Given base and altitude

h hhh

b
b
K = 1/2bh
2. Given Two angles and a side of triangle
K = a
2
sinB sin C = b
2
sinA sin C = c
2
sinA sinB
2 sinA 2 sinB 2 sinC

3. Given 2 sides and included angle
a K = 1/2absin

b

4. Given Three sides
Using Herons formula:

a b b K =
c where: s = a + b + c
2
Inverse Trigonometric Function
If sin = x, then: = Arcsin x = sin
-1
x, where: = angle
x = function
Arc = means inverse
Spherical Trigonometry is the part of trigonometry which deals with triangles on the
sphere. This is of great importance for calculations in
astronomy and navigation.
Formulas for area of spherical triangle:
A = R
2
E where: R = radius of the sphere
180 E = spherical excess in degrees
E = A + B + C - 180
= 3.1416...