| Mathematics Major [8]

Philippine Normal University

LICENSURE EXAMINATION FOR TEACHERS
Refresher Course

WHAT TO EXPECT
CONCENTRATION: MATHEMATICS
Focus: Trigonometry
LET Competencies:
1. Show mastery of the basic terms, concepts and operations in Trigonometry involving
Angles
Trigonometric ratios
Conversion (degree to radian and vice-versa)
Pythagorean Theorem
2. Solve, evaluate and manipulate symbolic and numerical problems in Trigonometry by applying
fundamental principles and processes.

PART I. CONTENT UPDATE

1. Angles In General
An angle is formed by two rays with the same endpoint. The common endpoint is called the
vertex of the angle and the rays are called the sides of the angle.

O
A
Figure 1

In Figure 1, the vertex of the angle (read as theta) is labeled O. A and B are points on each
side of . Angle can also be denoted by AOB, where the letter associated with the vertex is written
between the letters associated with the points on each side.
We can think of as having been formed by rotating side OA about the vertex to side OB. In
this case, we shall call side OA the initial side of and side OB the terminal side of .
When the rotation from the initial side takes place in a counterclockwise direction, the angle
formed is considered a positive angle. If the rotation is in clockwise direction, the angle formed is a
negative angle.

2. Degree Measure
One way to measure the size of an angle is with degree measure. The angle formed by rotating
a ray through one complete rotation has a measure of 360 degrees, written as 360.

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1
One degree (1), then, is of a full rotation. Likewise, 180 is one-half of a full rotation, and 90 is
360
half of that (or a quarter of a rotation). Angles that measure 90 are called right angles, while angles that
measure 180 are called straight angles. Angles that measure between 0 and 90 are called acute angles,
while angles that measure between 90 and 180 are called obtuse angles.

A central angle in a circle is an angle with its vertex at the center of the circle. In a circle, a central
angle that cuts off an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle has a measure of 1 radian (rad).

s
O
r

Figure 2

3. Conversions

To convert degrees to radians, we consider the fact that 1 rad
180

180
To convert radians to degrees, we consider the fact that 1 rad =

We note the following:
1. If the unit of measure of an angle is not indicated, then it is understood to be in radians.
2. 1 rad is approximately 57, thus, 1 rad is much larger than 1 degree.

Example 1.
1.1 Convert 60 to radians.

Solution: Note that 1 rad, so to convert from degrees to radians, we multiply by . Thus, we have
180 180

60 60 rad rad
180 3
When our answer is in terms of , we are writing an exact value. If we wanted an approximation, we
would replace with 3.1416.
3.1416
Exact value 0.7854 Approximate value
4 4

1.2 Convert -270 to radians.

Solution: We multiply by the given by . Thus, we have
180
3
270 270 rad rad
180 2
Example 2.

2.1 Convert to degrees.
4
180
Solution: To convert from radians to degrees, we multiply by .


180
rad = 45
4 4
7
2.2 Convert to degrees.
6

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180
Solution: We multiply the given by . Hence, we have.


7 7 180
rad = 210
6 6
4. Pythagorean Theorem
Right triangles are very important to the study of trigonometry. In every right triangle, the longest side
is called the hypotenuse, and it is always opposite the right angle. The two other sides are called the legs of
the right triangle.
Y

z
x

X
Z y
Figure 3
Right triangle XZY (symbolized as right XZY) with right angle Z is drawn in Figure 3. Its hypotenuse is z
while its legs are x and y.
We now state the Pythagorean Theorem.
Pythagorean Theorem: In any right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum
of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (called legs).

B
If C = 90, then
c c2 = a2 + b2
a

A
C b
Figure 4
Example 3. Solve for x in the right triangle in Figure 4.

x
9

C A
12
Figure 4

Solution: Applying the Pythagorean Theorem, we have

x 2 9 2 12 2
x 9 2 12 2 = 15
Example 4. Solve for x in the right triangle in Figure 5.

x 13

C A
x+7

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Figure 5
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Solution: By applying the Pythagorean Theorem, we have

( x 7) 2 x 2 132
x 2 14 x 49 x 2 169
2 x 2 14 x 120 0
x 2 7 x 60 0
( x 12)( x 5) 0
x + 12 = 0 or x - 5 = 0
x = -12 or x=5

Our only solution is x = 5. We do not accept x = -12 because x is the length of a side of triangle ACB and
therefore, its value cannot be negative.

5. Trigonometric Functions
If is an angle in standard position, and the point (x, y) is any point on the terminal side of other than
the origin, then the six trigonometric functions of are defined as follows:
y
The sine of : sin
r
x
The cosine of : cos
r
y
The tangent of : tan ; x 0
x
x
The cotangent of : cot ; y 0
y
r
The secant of : sec ; x 0
x
r
The cosecant of : csc ; y 0
y
where r2 = x2 + y2 or r x 2 y 2 . That is, r is the distance of the point (x, y) from the origin.
Example 5. Find the six trigonometric functions of if is in standard position and the point (2, -3) is on
the terminal side of .

(-2,3)

Figure 6
Solution: Using the values x = -2 and y = 3, we solve for r.
r x 2 y 2 13
Applying the definition for the six trigonometric functions, we have
y 3
sin x
cot
13
r 13 y 3
x 2
cos r
sec
13
r 13 x 2
y 3 x 2
tan csc
x 2 y 3
6. Solving Right Triangles
To solve a right triangle is to know the measurement or to approximate the sizes of its acute angles
and sides when the measurements of at least one leg and an angle or of two of its sides are given.
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We now define the six trigonometric ratios as follows:
side opposite hypotenuse
sin csc
hypotenuse side opposite

side adjacent to hypotenuse

cos sec
hypotenuse side adjacent to

side opposite side adjacent to

tan cot
side adjacent to side opposite

Example 6. Find the value of sin B

A

c = 6 cm
b = 3 cm

B C
a = 3 3 cm
side opposite B
Solution: The sine ratio is . The length of the side opposite B
hypotenuse
is 3 cm., and the hypotenuse is 6 cm. Therefore, we have
side opposite B 3
sin B 0.5
hypotenuse 6

Example 7. In right XYZ with right angle Z, mX = 25 and y = 10 units. Solve the triangle.
Solutions: First, we draw the triangle.
X

z=?
y = 10 units

Y Z
x=?

We now solve for the unknown parts of the triangle.

mY = 90 - 25 = 65.

x x
Now, tan X . By substitution, we have tan 25 0
y 10
x 10 tan 250
x 4.66
y 10
Similarly, sin Y . Thus, sin 65 0
z z
10
z
sin 65 0
10
z
0.906
z 11.04

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Part II. Analyzing Test Items

1. Which angle in radians is equivalent to 120?

3
A) C)
2 4
2 4
B) D)
3 5
5
2. Which is equivalent to sin ?
6
A) sin 45 C) sin 120
B) sin 90 D) sin 150
3. Which trigonometric function/s is/are positive in Quadrant III?
A) sec C) sin
B) cos D) tan
4. If sin > 0 and sec < 0, in what quadrant does P() lie?
A) Quadrant I C) Quadrant III
B) Quadrant II D) Quadrant IV
5. What is the value of tan if cos = and P() lies in the 4th quadrant?
3
A) C) 3
2
3
B) D) 3
2
6. If sin
8
and is an angle whose terminal point is in the third quadrant, find
17
the value of sec .
17 8
A) C)
15 15
15 15
B) D)
17 8
12 5
7. If sin = and cos then what is the value of tan ?
13 13
5 12
A) C)
12 13
12 13
B) D)
5 5
8. In the given triangle, what is the value of x?
A) 8 C) 136 10
B) 64 D) insufficient information 6

x
9. In the figure on the right below, if vertices A, C and B form a right triangle with right angle C,
what is the measure of AB ?
A
A) 625 cm C) 25 cm
B) 15 cm D) 5 cm

24 cm

C B
7 cm
10. What is the area of the right triangle if the measure of one of its legs is 8 cm and that of the
hypotenuse is 10 cm.?
A) 60 sq m C) 24 sq m
B) 30 sq m D) 12 sq m

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For items 11 13, use the triangle shown below.
A

10
6C B

11. Find the value of csc A. 8

A) 1.67 C) 1.25
B) 1.33 D) 0.6

12. What is the value of sec B?

A) 1.67 C) 1.25
B) 1.33 D) 0.6
13. Find the value of cot B.
A) 1.67 C) 1.25
B) 1.33 D) 0.6

14. If sin A = 0.3, what is csc A?

A) 0.3 C) 3.33
B) 1.33 D) cannot be determined

15. One leg of a 45-45-90 triangle is 4 cm long. How long is the other leg?
A) 1 cm C) 4 cm
B) 2 cm D) 4 2 cm

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