There is a way to remember the basic trigonometric identities without memorizing them or writing up a long list.

We use what we called the tan-sin-cos hexagon. This is basically a regular hexagon (polygon with 6 sides) where the names of the three principally named functions and their co-named functions (secant, cosecant; tangent, cotangent; and sine , cosine) are written near the vertices of the hexagon. You draw the hexagon with it lying on one of its sides. Then, starting on the top left vertex, you write beside it sec; staying to the left, you go down to the next vertex and write near it tan; going down to the next vertex write sin. Now that the left vertices have been associated with the three principally-named functions, you write opposite to each of these vertices the co-named functions, starting with csc, followed by cot, then cos. Locate, approximately, the center of the hexagon and write on it the number 1. Connect all the vertices to this number with line segments. Now, you are ready to use your tan-sin-cos hexagon. In practice, we don't draw this hexagon on paper; instead, we are to picture it in our mind. So, here's how it works: A. Reciprocal Relation: Any function (in the hexagon) is equal to the one (1) in the center divided the function opposite it. Or, the product of the opposite functions is equal to 1. Examples: tan A = 1/cotA; sin A = 1/csc A; cos A = 1/sec A; cot A = 1/tan A; csc A = 1/sin A; sec A = 1/cos A. or tan A cot A = 1; sin A csc A = 1; cos A sec A = 1 B. Product Relation: Any function is equal to the product of the two functions adjacent to it. Examples: sin A = tan A cosA; tan A = sec A sin A; cos A = sin A cot A; cot A = csc A cos A; csc A = sec A cot A sec A = tan A csc A C. Quotient Relation: Any function is equal to the function adjacent to it divided by the function next to it. Examples: tan A = sec A/csc A; tan A = sin A/cos A; sin A = tan A/sec A sin A = cos A/cot A; cot A = cos A/sin A; cot A = csc A/sec A csc A = cot A/cos A; csc A = sec A/tan A. For the Pythagorean Relations we modify the hexagon. Each function name carries a power of 2, so that sec is now sec^2; tan is tan^2; sin is sin^2 and so on. Now, write a plus (+) near the middle of the line segment connecting tan^2 to 1 and just below the vertex for sec^2 write an equal (=) sign. Similarly write a plus (+) near the middle of the line segment connecting cot^2 to 1 and just below the vertex for csc^2 write an equal (=) sign. For the side of the hexagon connecting sin^2 and cos^2, write a

plus (+) near its middle and then just below the one (1) write an equal (=) sign. So, here's how it works. tan^2(A) + 1 = sec^2A 1 + cot^2A = csc^2A; and sin^2A + cos^2A = 1 With a little bit of practice you can write all the above functions by just imagining these two hexagons. We had fun using it and it really makes it easier for us to prove identities as we don't have to keep an eye on a long list of identities while proving. Hope this help you.