2 Dimensional Problems
2 Dimensional Problems |
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MathsDirect |
You will already be familiar with the basic trig functions, and their use with right angled triangles. Below is a very quick revision of the topic. We will then look at some 2-dimensional problems, combining triangles and radians. To skip the basic revision, press here.
For a right angled triangle, the 3 basic trig functions are defined as
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There are some values for the trig functions that you must learn. These will not be given in this form, by a calculator
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| Sin | |
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| Cos |
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| Tan | |
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Problems with triangles, usually use degrees, but if there are circles involved, then you must use radians.
Below are some basic examples of using these trig functions.
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Although the diagrams can be made more complicated, and more steps might be required, the basic idea remains the same.
| Find the lengths and angles marked on the diagram.
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| First find x
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| You can now work on the other triangle
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| To find y, you can either use trigonometry or Pythagoras
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The next page has some more problems, combining radians and triangles
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