Introduction to Trigonometry and Triangle Basics
Ever wondered how engineers calculate the height of buildings or how your phone's GPS works? Trigonometry is the mathematical tool that makes it all possible. It's simply the study of relationships between angles and the lengths of triangle sides.
In trigonometry, we use Greek letters to represent angles - you'll see θ (theta), β (beta), α (alpha), and φ (phi) everywhere. Don't worry, it's just fancy notation that makes you look clever in exams!
Before diving into the fun stuff, you need to nail Pythagoras' theorem: c² = a² + b². This tells us that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the longest side equals the sum of squares of the other two sides. You can rearrange this to find any missing side: a² = c² - b² or b² = c² - a².
The secret to trigonometry success is correctly labelling triangle sides. The hypotenuse is always the longest side (opposite the right angle). The opposite side faces your angle of interest. The adjacent side is the one left over - it's next to your angle but isn't the hypotenuse.
Quick Tip: The side labels change depending on which angle you're focusing on - so always double-check your labelling before calculating!
Once you've mastered labelling, you're ready for the trigonometric ratios: Sin = opposite/hypotenuse, Cos = adjacent/hypotenuse, and Tan = opposite/adjacent. These three simple ratios unlock the power to solve virtually any triangle problem you'll encounter.