Mathematics 334 Designed by Peter Nield Notes by Katherine Daignault

Westwood High School Grade 9 Student

Trigonometric Ratios in Right Triangles

Cos 30° 3
2
Sin 30° 1
2
Cos 45° 2
2
Sin 45° 2
2
Cos 270° 0
Sin 270° -1
Tan 30° 1
3
Tan 45° 1

X values on unit circle represent Cosine of angle.

Y values represent Sine of angle.
sin
= tangent of angle.
cos

Sine of angle = measure of side opposite angle

measure of hypotenuse
Cosine of angle = measure of side adjacent angles
measure of hypotenuse
Tangent of angle = measure of side opposite angle
measure of side adjacent angle

hypotenuse

opposite
x
Adjacent

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Mathematics 334 Designed by Peter Nield Notes by Katherine Daignault
Westwood High School Grade 9 Student

These ratios are very easy to calculate on the unit circle because the hypotenuse equals 1.

1 2
1
2
2 30 45°
3 2
2
2

1
sin 30° = 2
2 cos 45° =
2
3
cos 30° = 2
2 sin 45° =
2
12
tan 30° = 2 2
3 2 tan 45° = =1
2 2
However, since all right triangles with congruent angles are similar (ratio of sides the
same), we can use these ratios for all right triangles.

Acronym to Remember

SOHCAHTOA
Sin = opposite cos = adjacent tan = opposite
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent

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Mathematics 334 Designed by Peter Nield Notes by Katherine Daignault
Westwood High School Grade 9 Student

Finding a Missing Side Using Trigonometric

Ratios
EX:

20
x
40
y

adj
sin =
opp cos =
hyp hyp
y
sin 40° =
x cos 40° =
20 20
x = 20 sin 40° y = 20 cos 40°
x ≈ 12.855 y = 15.32

EX:

opp
tan =
51 adj
31
x tan 51° =
x
31 = x tan 51°
31
tan 51°
25.1 = x

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Mathematics 334 Designed by Peter Nield Notes by Katherine Daignault
Westwood High School Grade 9 Student

Finding an Angle Using Trigonometric Ratios

* Whenever you’re looking for an angle, you must do inverse

*

5 opp
sin =
hyp
12 5
sin x° =
12
x
( )
sin −1 5 = x
12
24.62 ≈ x

Sin (angle) = RATIO

Sin −1 (RATIO) = angle

opp
tan =
adj
25
tan y° =
12
( )
25
−1 25
y tan = y°
12
12 64.36 ≈ y°

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Mathematics 334 Designed by Peter Nield Notes by Katherine Daignault
Westwood High School Grade 9 Student

Multi-step example

25 42
16

1. Find the height of building in small triangle.

2. Use answer to find hypotenuse in big triangle.

height
tan 42° =
16
1) height = 16 tan 42°
height ≈ 14.41
opp
sin =
hyp
14.41
sin 25° =
x
x sin 25° = 14.41
2)
sin 25°
14.41
x=
sin 25°
x = 34.09

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