Hahn Block 2

Trigonometry

High Dive Portfolio

The High Dive unit problem is about a circus act. A professional diver is going to jump

off a moving Ferris wheel and land in a tub of water. In addition, the water is on a moving cart.

The diver must time his jump perfectly and it is up to us to figure it out.

In order to solve the unit problem, we must understand to concepts: sine and cosine

functions. The sine of an angle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the

hypotenuse. The cosine of an angle is the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of

the hypotenuse. These functions are periodic because their values repeat every 360 degrees. That

is to say, if you add 360 to any angle, the sine or cosine value would be the same. These

functions can be useful in finding lengths of a right triangle. If you know the value of an angle,

and the length of one side of a triangle, you can find the length of another side using the sine or

cosine function. Specifically in High Dive, the sine and cosine function are useful because you

can use them to find the height or horizontal position of the platform. This is crucial in

determining when the diver should jump. However, the sine and cosine functions can be used for

a variety of problems, and are not just restricted to circles, as we saw in Homework 7: More

Beach Adventures.

The tangent function is similar to sine and cosine, but it is the ratio of the length of the

opposite side to the length of the adjacent side. Unlike sine and cosine, tangent cannot be used to

find the hypotenuse, and can only be used to find the lengths of the opposite and adjacent side
lengths. In Homework 18: Coordinate Tangents, we discovered the properties of the tan function

in relation to the sine and cosine functions.

Polar coordinates and rectangular coordinates are two ways to describe points on a plane.

Rectangular coordinates are just the classic coordinates used on a plane: (X,Y). Polar coordinates

use the radius and the angle to locate a point, for example: (R, θ). Both are ways of describing

the same point. Both polar and rectangular coordinates can be used in the Ferris wheel problem,

as we learned in Homework 17: Polar Coordinates on the Ferris Wheel.

The unit circle is a circle with a radius of 1. In this unit we used to clarify the properties

of circles, angles and radians. Radians are another way of labeling angles. They are basically the

distance along the edge of a circle for an angle. The conversion factor for radians and angles is π

= 180o. The formula for the circumference of a circle is 2πR.

Trig Identities

Sine = opposite over hypotenuse (SOH), Cosine = adjacent over hypotenuse (CAH),

Tangent = opposite over adjacent (TOA). Sin and Csc, Cos and Sec, and Tan and Cot are all

inversely proportional, or they are equal to 1 over the other.

 Solving the unit problem consisted mostly of putting together all the smaller individual

formulas into one bigger formula that deals with all the aspects of the problem. We merged

together our formulas for height, X-position, falling time, and cart movement and this created the

formula used to solve the unit problem. This was a simplified version, however, since it ignored

many factors that could make a difference. We finally solved the unit problem in an assignment

called “Moving Cart, Turning Ferris Wheel.

Reflection

This unit relied strongly on the ideas of trigonometric functions like Sine, Cosine, and

Tangent. These are concepts that we originally learned in geometry, and I feel fairly confident

about them. I understand their use and their definitions. I relatively little trouble this unit with

these functions. Though I am not entirely sure what exactly Calculus entails, I feel I have an

adequate understanding of Trigonometry, and if I had to guess, I am probably ready for Pre-

calculus. I learned a lot this year that I feel will help me in the next years of the math program.

Overall, I feel my mathematical understanding has greatly improved this year in trigonometry.