In mathematics, the trigonometric functions (also called circular functions, angle functions or

goniometric functions) are real functions which relate an angle of a right-angled triangle to ratios
of two side lengths. They are widely used in all sciences that are related to geometry, such as
navigation, solid mechanics, celestial mechanics, geodesy, and many others. They are among the
simplest periodic functions, and as such are also widely used for studying periodic phenomena,
through Fourier analysis.

The most widely used trigonometric functions are the sine, the cosine, and the tangent.
Their reciprocals are respectively the cosecant, the secant, and the cotangent, which are less used
in modern mathematics.

The oldest definitions of trigonometric functions, related to right-angle triangles, define them only
for acute angles. For extending these definitions to functions whose domain is the
whole projectively extended real line, one can use geometrical definitions using the standard unit
circle (a circle with radius 1 unit). Modern definitions express trigonometric functions as infinite
series or as solutions of differential equations. This allows extending the domain of the sine and the
cosine functions to the whole complex plane, and the domain of the other trigonometric functions
to the complex plane from which some isolated points are removed.

A radian is defined as an angle θ subtended at the center of a circle for which the arc length is equal to
the radius of that circle (see Fig.1).

The circumference of the circle is equal to 2πR, where R is the radius of the circle. Consequently,
360°=2π radians. Thus, 1 radian=360°/2π ≈ 57.296° 1° = (2π/360) radians ≈ 0.01745 radians
A right triangle is a triangle with a right angle (90°) (See Fig.2)

For every angle θ in the triangle, there is the side of the triangle adjacent to it (from here on denoted as
“adj”), the side opposite of it (from here on denoted as “opp”), and the hypotenuse (from here on
denoted as “hyp”), which is the longest side of the triangle located opposite of the right angle. For angle
θ, the trigonometric functions are defined as follows: sine of θ = sinθ = opp hyp cosine of θ = cosθ = adj
hyp tangent of θ = tanθ = sinθ cosθ = opp adj cotangent of θ = cotθ = 1 tanθ = cosθ sinθ = adj opp secant
of θ = secθ = 1 cosθ = hyp adj cosecant of θ = cscθ = 1 sinθ = hyp opp

In the unit circle, one can define the trigonometric functions cosine and sine as follows. If (x,y) is a point
on the unit cirlce, and if the ray from the origin (0,0) to that point (x,y) makes an angle θ with the
positive x-axis, (such that the counterclockwise direction is considered positive), then, cosθ = x/1 = x sinθ
= y/1 = y Then, each point (x,y) on the unit circle can be written as (cosθ, sinθ). Combined with the
equation x 2 + y 2 = 1, the definitions above give the relationship sin 2θ+cos 2θ=1. In addition, other
trigonometric functions can be defined in terms of x and y: tanθ = sinθ/cosθ = y/x cotθ = cosθ/sinθ = x/y
secθ = 1/cosθ = 1/x cscθ = 1/sinθ = 1/y Fig.3 below shows a unit circle in the coordinate plane, together
with some useful values of angle θ, and the points (x,y)=(cosθ, sinθ), that are most commonly used (also
see table in the following section).
 Fig.3. Most commonly used angles and points of the unit circle.
For any ordered pair on the unit circle ( x y, ) : cosq = x and sinq = y

Example:

Note: For θ in quadrant I, sinθ>0, cosθ >0; for θ in quadrant II, sinθ>0, cosθ

Note: Exact values for other trigonometric functions (such as cotθ, secθ, and cscθ) as well as
trigonometric functions of many other angles can be derived by using the following sections.
The law of sines states that for an arbitrary triangle with sides a, b, and c and angles opposite

those sides A, B and C: where Δ is the area of the triangle, or,

equivalently, where R is the triangle's circumradius.

Example#1: Let’s find AC in the following triangle.

According to the Law of Sine, Now we can plug the values and solve.

Example #2: "Only one remains." Ryan signals to his brother from his hiding place. Matt nods in
acknowledgement, spotting the last evil robot. "343434 degrees." Matt signals back, informing Ryan of
the angle he observed between Ryan and the robot. Ryan records this value on his diagram (shown
below) and performs a calculation. Calibrating his laser cannon to the correct distance, he stands, aims,
and fires. To what distance did Ryan calibrate his laser cannon?
Since we are given one side length and all angle measures, we can use the law of sines.

The law of cosines (also known as the cosine formula or cosine rule) is an extension of
the Pythagorean theorem:
or equivalently,

In this formula the angle at C is opposite to the side c. This theorem can be proven by dividing
the triangle into two right ones and using the Pythagorean theorem.
The law of cosines can be used to determine a side of a triangle if two sides and the angle
between them are known. It can also be used to find the cosines of an angle (and consequently
the angles themselves) if the lengths of all the sides are known.
Example: An aircraft tracking station determines the distance from a common point O to each
aircraft and the angle between the aicrafts. If angle O between the two aircrafts is equal to
49 o and the distances from point O to the two aircrafts are 50 km and 72 km, find distance d
between the two aircrafts (round off the answers to 1 decimal place).
The cosine law may be used as follows:
d 2 = 72 2 + 50 2 - 2 (72)(50) cos(49 o)
Solve for d and use calculator:
d= SQRT [72 2 + 50 2 - 2 (72)(50) cos(49 o)]
(approximately) = 54.4 km

The explanation of the formulae in words would be cumbersome, but the patterns of sums and
differences, for the lengths and corresponding opposite angles, are apparent in the theorem.
The tangent of an angle in a right triangle is a value found by dividing the length of the side
opposite the given angle by the length of the side adjacent to the given angle.

Example: An inquisitive math student is standing 25 feet from the base of the Washington Monument.
The angle of elevation from her horizontal line of sight is 87.4∘. If her “eye height” is 5ft, how tall is the
monument?
We can find the height of the monument by using the tangent ratio and then adding the eye height of
the student.
tan87.4∘h=h25=25⋅tan87.4∘=550.54
Adding 5 ft, the total height of the Washington Monument is 555.54 ft.
The actual height of the monument is 555.427 ft.
Mollweid’s Formula:

Example: Verify that tan (180° − x) = −tan x.

Example: Express csc2x - cotx - 3 in factored form.

Start by substituting:

Example: If cotθ=−√3 find cot−θ

Since, cot(−θ)=−cot(θ), if cotθ=−√ 3then −cot(−θ)=−√3.

Example: If α is an acute angle and sin α = 0,6. Determine the value of sin 2α.
First,

Then,

So, the final answer is: sin2α=0.96

Example: Find sin 165º

First realize that 165 degrees is half of 330 degrees, so you can rewrite the sine function as
sin(330/2).
Then, determine the sign of the trig function. Because 165 degrees is in quadrant II of the
coordinate plane, its sine value should be positive.
Substitute,

Replace cos x with its actual value. Use the unit circle to find cos 330 degrees. Substituting that
value into the equation gives you:

Simplify, Find the common denominator,

Then,

Finally, the square of the bottom simplifies to 2, and you end up with

Example: Using the formula for the cosine of the difference of two angles, find the exact value
of

Begin by writing the formula for the cosine of the difference of two angles. Then substitute the
given values.
Example: Using A = 45 degrees and B = 30 degrees and the identity

then,

Simplify,

Example:
Solve for α by adding the following two equations and then dividing by 2. Solve for β by subtracting the
two equations and then dividing by 2.

Example:

Then simplify,
 http://bolvan.ph.utexas.edu/~vadim/Classes/2014s/TrigReview.pdf
 https://www.eeweb.com/tools/trigonometry-laws-and-identities-sheet
 https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/trigonometric-identities.html
 http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/pdf/trig_cheat_sheet.pdf
 https://www.dummies.com/education/math/trigonometry/product-to-sum-identities/
 https://math.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Precalculus/Book%3A_Precalculus_(OpenStax)/07%3A
_Trigonometric_Identities_and_Equations/7.2%3A_Sum_and_Difference_Identities
 https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/trigonometry/trigonometric-identities/tangent-
identities
 https://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Trigonometry-Concepts/section/1.21/
 https://mathbitsnotebook.com/Algebra2/TrigConcepts/TCPythIden.html#targetText=Since%20t
he%20legs%20of%20the,is%20called%20a%20Pythagorean%20Identity.
 https://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Trigonometry-Concepts/section/3.1/
 https://brilliant.org/wiki/trigonometric-periodicity-identities/
 https://intl.siyavula.com/read/maths/grade-12/trigonometry/04-trigonometry-03
 https://www.dummies.com/education/math/calculus/how-to-use-half-angle-identities-to-
evaluate-a-trig-function/
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