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INTRODUCTION TO TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS

 Trigonometry means the measurement of angles.

 From the word trigonometry, tri means 3, gon means angle and metric means measure.
 Therefore, trigonometry is an area of mathematics relating the study of trigonometric
functions to the measurement of angles, and the behavior of wave functions.

The General Angle

 Angles measured from the x-axis in an anti-clockwise direction are positive, and those
measured in a clockwise direction are negative.
 The general angle has 4 quadrants.

2nd quadrant 1st quadrant

3rd quadrant 4th quadrant

Trigonometric Ratios and Trigonometric Functions

 Generally, there are three trigonometric ratios (functions) namely:

(a) Cosine
(b) Sine
(c) Tangent
 The following are inverses with respect to the trigonometric ratios
(a) Secant
(b) Cosecant
(c) Cotangent

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 Consider a right angled triangle below:

Opposite Hypotenuse

Adjacent

 From the triangle above, the three trigonometric ratios can be defined as:
and

and

and

 Note that and .

 The above results can be summarized in one sentence for easier memorizing as:
SOH-CAH-TOA.

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The Sign Conversion of Trigonometric Ratios

 Consider the diagram below:

Sine/cosecant All are positive (+)

Positive (+)

Tangent/cotangent Cosine/secant

Positive (+) Positive (+)

 The results in the diagram above can easily be memorized as All Science Teachers are
Crazy.
 Angles in the first quadrant are angles in the range and
 Angles in the second quadrant are angles in the range and .
 Angles in the third quadrant are angles in the range and .
 Angles in the fourth quadrant are angles in the range and .
 Therefore, the ratios of are numerically the same as the ratios of
. So we can say that:

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Special angles

 These are angles which can be evaluated without using a calculator.

 Consider the two right-angled triangles below of sides 2 units and 1 unit base and
perpendicular side.

1 2 1

 Taking trigonometric ratios for as well as those

for gives:
9

Graphs of Trigonometric Functions

(a) The sine graph (y = sin x)

-1

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(b) The cosine graph (y = cos x)

(c) The tangent graph (y = tan x)

y

0 x

Note the following important points about the sine, cosine and tangent graphs:
 The sine and cosine graphs have a wave shape.
 The sine and cosine graphs have a minimum value of -1 and maximum value of 1.
This implies that the sine and cosine graphs have amplitude of 1. However,
amplitude is half the distance between the highest and lowest points of a wave.
 The sine and cosine graphs complete a full cycle in . This implies that the
sine and cosine graphs have a period of . A period is the distance on the
horizontal axis of one full cycle of a graph.
 The tangent graph does have neither minimum nor maximum value.
 The tangent graph is undefined where and . This implies that the
tangent graph has asymptotes at . Asymptote is a straight line to
which a graph draws closer and closer, without ever touching it.
 The tangent graph completes a full cycle in . However, the tangent graph has
a period of .

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Sine and Cosine rules

 These are useful rules applied to find missing sides or angles for triangles
that do not have right angles (non right-angled triangles).
 The sine rule is a rule to solve non right-angled triangles, when two angles
and any side are given, or two sides and the non-included angle are given.
 Under sine rule, the angles are denoted by capital letters and the sides
opposite to these angles are denoted by small letters respectively.
 Consider the non right-angled triangle below:
A

c b

B a C
 In above, the sine rule states that:
or
 The cosine rule is a rule to solve non right-angled triangles, when two
sides and the included angles are given, or three sides are given.
 Under cosine rule, the angles are denoted by capital letters and the sides
opposite to these angles are denoted by small letters respectively.
 In above, the cosine rule states that:

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Area rule

 It is a rule to calculate the area of any triangle especially for non right-angled triangles,
when two sides and the included angle are given.
 It is given by the general formula , where b and h are the given two sides
while is the included angle.
 Consider below:
C

b a

A c B
 In triangle ABC above, the Area rule states that:

Trigonometric Identities

 A trigonometric identity is a relationship that is true for all values of the unknown
variable.
 The following are the common trigonometric identities to be considered:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

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Harmonic form
 Changing an expression of the form into the form .
 We can express into the form by following the
procedures outlined below:

STEP 1
Expand

STEP 2
Form an equation connecting and .

and
and
 Consider the diagram below:
y

 From the diagram above:

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