Trigonometry and its applications

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Definition of Trigonometry
Trigonometry is the branch of mathematics that studies the relationship between triangle sides
and angles. Triangulation can be found in the entire geometry, because every straight-sided
shape can be decomposed into a set of triangles. In addition, trigonometry and other branches of
mathematics, especially complex numbers, infinite series, logarithms and calculus, have
surprisingly complicated relationships.​According to Victor Katz in “A History of Mathematics
(3rd Edition)” (Pearson, 2008), trigonometry developed primarily from the needs of Greek and
Indian astronomers.​The word trigonometry is a derivative of Latin in the 16th century, derived
from the Greek triangle (trigōnon) and measure (metron). Although this field appeared in Greece
in the 3rd century BC, some of the most important contributions (such as sine functions) came
from India in the 5th century BC. Since the early trigonometry works of ancient Greece have
been lost, it is unclear whether Indian scholars developed independently or under the influence of
Greece.
Some trigonometry functions
In trigonometry, there are basically 6 ratios that are used to find elements, which are called
trigonometric functions. The six trigonometric functions are sine, cosine, secant, cosine, tangent
and cotangent.Using a right triangle as a reference, derive trigonometric functions or identities:
● sin θ = Opposite Side/Hypotenuse
● cos θ = Adjacent Side/Hypotenuse
● tan θ = Opposite Side/Adjacent Side
● sec θ = Hypotenuse/Adjacent Side
● cosec θ = Hypotenuse/Opposite Side
● cot θ = Adjacent Side/Opposite Side

In other words:

● The tangent of angle A = the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the
adjacent side
● The sine of angle A = the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the
hypotenuse
● The cosine of angle A = the length of the adjacent side divided by the length of the
hypotenuse
 It is worth mentioning that these functions are related to each other through various complex
equations (identities), which are always correct.Each trigonometric function also has an inverse
function, which can be used to find an angle from the ratio of the sides. The reciprocal of sin(x),
cos(x) and tan(x) are arcsin(x), arccos(x) and arctan(x) respectively.
Trigonometry is not limited to right triangles. It can be used for all triangles and all shapes with
straight sides, and they are treated as a collection of triangles. For any triangle, the measurement
spanning six sides and angles, if at least three are known, the other three can usually be
determined. Among the six known configurations of three sides and angles, only two
configurations cannot be used to determine everything about a triangle: three known angles
(AAA) and one known adjacent to and opposite to the known side Angle (ASS). Use the
following tools to determine the unknown side length and angle:
● The law of sine, it says that if two metrics of one of three opposing angle/side pairs are
known, the other metrics can be determined by a known value: sin(A)/A=sin(B)
/B=sin(C)/C
● The law of cosines can find the unknown side from the known two sides and the angle
between them. It is essentially the Pythagorean theorem, and there is a correction factor
for angles that are not 90 degrees: c2=a2+b2–2ab·cos(C)
● All the angles in the triangle must add up to 180 degrees: A+B+C=180
These are basically equations of the trigonometric ratio of an angle, which are correct for all
values ​of that particular angle. They are sometimes difficult to understand; however, they can be
used to determine all trigonometric values ​and derivatives. Basically, the two sides of the
equation are equal and can be exchanged to determine the trigonometric value.
Some of the basic trigonometry identities are:
a) sin^2A + cos2A = 1 b) 1 + tan^2A = sec^2A c) 1 + cot^2A = cosec^2A
Trigonometry to measure the height or distance
Trigonometry is used to measure the height of buildings or mountains. The height of the
building can be easily determined using trigonometric functions, mensuration is one of the most
important applications of trigonometry in our real life. For example,
 If the distance from where the building is observed is 90 ft from its base and the angle of
elevation to the top of the building is 35°, then find the height of the building.
Solution:
Given:
1. Distance from the building is 90 feet from its base.
2. The angle of elevation from to the top of the building is 35°.
We can find the height of the building by using the trigonometric formulas. Since, the angle and
the adjacent side length are provided. We can use the formula of tan to solve for the height of the
building.
Tan35​° = Opposite side/Adjacent side, Tan 35°=h/90, h=90 x tan 35=90 x 0.7002=63.018ft.
So we can get the height of the building is 63.018 ft. There’s another example about measuring
using trigonometry. A ship is chasing fishes with a velocity of 30km/h, saw an island C at point
A in the direction of N60E, after 40 minutes, the ship arrives at point B, now it saw the island C
is at the direction of N30E of itself. It is known that 10 km around island C is a dangerous area
for military drill. If the fishing boat continues to chase, is it possible to enter the dangerous area?
Solution: Make a vertical line CD of AB is crossed by C, and the extension line of AB is at point

D  

cot30=AD/CD,cot60=BC/CD
 AD=CD*cot30, BD=CD*cot60
AD-BD=CD*(cot30-cot60)=20
CD=20/(sqrt3-sqrt3/3)=10sqrt3
10sqrt3>10,
So if this ship keeps chasing, it won’t get into the military dangerous area.
Trigonometry in aviation.
Furthermore, trigonometry can also be used in avaition​.​In the past few years, aviation
technology has been developed in many ways. It considers wind speed, wind direction, distance,
and wind speed and direction. Wind plays a vital role in the timing and manner of flight. This
equation can be solved by trigonometry.
For example,An airplane is approaching point A along a straight line and at a constant altitude
h. At 10:00 am, the angle of elevation of the airplane is 20​o​ and at 10:01 it is 60​o​. What is the
altitude h of the airplane if the speed of the airplane is constant and equal to 600 miles/hour?
(Question found in analyzemath.com)

Solutions:
tan(20​o​) = h / (d + x)
tan(60​o​) = h / x
h = d / [ 1 / tan(20​o​) - 1 / tan(60​o​) ]
= 4.6 miles (rounded to 2 decimal places)
We can calculate the altitude easily using the trigonometry.
Trigonometry in criminology
Trigonometry is even used in crime scene investigations. Trigonometric functions help to
calculate the trajectory of the projectile and estimate the cause of the collision in a car accident.
In addition, it is also used to identify how the object fell or at what angle it was shot, and it can
be used in blood spatter investigation. For example, we can calculate the angle of impact.
If my arm is bleeding, I straighten it, the angle will be 90 degrees. To calculate the impact angle,
we measured the width and length of the blood stain. Do not measure the tail fin, because it is
caused by gravity and the force of the weapon. We should see that the larger the tail, the smaller
the impact angle.
 To calculate, do the following:
Ex 1: Let us say that the width is 9mm and the length is 18mm. (Riley, 2013).
STEP 1: sin-1 (9mm/18mm) = 30
̊ The angle of impact was 30 ̊.
Ex. 2: Let us say the width is 1.5 cm and the length of the blood stain is 3.0cm (Crime scene
Forensics.com)
STEP 1: sin-1 (1.5cm/3.0cm) = 30 ̊
The angle of impact was 30 ̊.
Ex.3: Let us say the width is 3.0 cm and the length of the blood stain is 6.0cm
STEP 1: sin-1 (3.0cm/6.0cm) = 30 ̊
The angle of impact was 30 ̊.
Ex 4: let us say that the width is 1.73cm and the length is 2cm
STEP 1: sin-1 (1.73cm/2cm) ≈ 59.99 ̊ (close to a 60 ̊ angle)
The angle of impact was approximately 59.99 ̊
When we calculate the angle of impact, remember that (sin-1 ) does not mean (1/sin), which is
very important. Instead, it means the inverse sine function. When dividing them, we need to
make sure to divide the smaller number by the larger number in order to get a number less than
one.
Marine Biology Trigonometry
Marine biologists often use triangulation to measure the depth of sunlight that affects the
photosynthesis of algae. Using trigonometric functions and mathematical models, marine
biologists estimate the size of large animals such as whales and understand their behavior.
Nautical Triangle
Triangulation is used for navigation direction; it estimates which direction the compass is placed
in to obtain a straight line direction. With the aid of compass and trigonometric navigation, you
can easily determine a location, find the distance, and see the horizon.
The importance of trigonometry
​Trigonometry may not have a direct application in solving practical problems, but it is used in
various things we like very much. For example, in music, you know that sound is transmitted in
the form of waves. Although this mode is not as regular as sine or cosine functions, it is still
useful when developing computer music. Computers obviously cannot listen and understand
music like we do, so computers use its constituent sound waves to mathematically represent it.
This means that sound engineers need to know at least the basic knowledge of trigonometry. And
the wonderful music created by these sound engineers is to calm us down from a busy and tense
life, all thanks to the Triangle Method.
 Reference List

[1]. Freeman, Shanna. "How Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Works" 24 April 2008.

HowStuffWorks.com.

[2]. Gennady I. Arkhipov; Vladimir N. Chubarikov; Anatoly A. Karatsuba (22 August 2008).

Trigonometric Sums in Number Theory and Analysis​. Walter de Gruyter.

[3]. Riley, Pat, “Blood Drop Analysis” 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKW5agxCqw

[4]. Mary Jane Sterling (24 February 2014). ​Trigonometry For Dummies​. John Wiley & Sons. p.

185.

[5]. Maor, Eli, ​Trigonometric Delights​, Princeton Univ. Press. (1998). Reprint edition (2002)

[6]. O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson, "Trigonometric functions", ​MacTutor History of

Mathematics archive​. (1996).

[7]. "Triangles and Trigonometry". ​Mathigon​.

[8]. "trigonometry". Online Etymology Dictionary