Trigonometry literally means the
measuring of triangles.
 Although in schools today, it also involves
the measuring of circles.

A Greek philosopher named Hipparchus
founded Trigonometry.
 He studied astronomy and used
Trigonometry to find the latitude and
longitude of different stars.
 He was born in Nicaea (present day
Turkey) and was active between the
years of 162-126 BC.


Hipparchus may have had some help
from Menelaus and Ptolomy but their
work has been forgotten over the years.

Many mechanical engineers use
Trigonometry for building things that do
not require any right angles. For
example, building cars and certain
bridges requires the use of Trigonometry.

Electricians need to know basic
Trigonometry. Without this knowledge,
they will not know how to wire things
correctly. Trigonometry formulas and
calculations are used in the day-to-day
life of an electrician.

Chemists use trigonometry in their jobs.
Only a limited amount of knowledge
about Trigonometry is required to be a
chemist. Chemists measure angles and
degrees and the knowledge of
Trigonometry makes the profession
easier.

3D animators use trigonometry to create
images using different angles. In order for
an image to become 3D, the animators
have to use different angles to create
the perfect 3D animation. They use a
combination of rotating and comparing
angles to make the animation 3D.

The top 3 Trigonometric functions are
those used with sine, cosine, and
tangent. (sin, cos, and tan)
Sine- Opposite divided by hypotenuse
 Cosine- Adjacent divided by hypotenuse
 Tangent- Opposite divided by adjacent

The three other functions used in
Trigonometry are secant, cosecant, and
cotangent.
 These three functions have the same
ratios as sine, cosine, and tangent.

The six functions of Trigonometry are
related because they all share the same
ratios.
 I have seen sine, cosine, and tangent
before in Algebra 2.

I found a worksheet with a lot of helpful
explanations about sine, cosine, and
tangent.
 http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/pre
alg/prealg05/study_guide/pdfs/prealg_p
ssg_G079.pdf


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
Width of a Stream
If your schoolyard does not have a stream, it
probably has some other feature that would be
hard to measure such as a gully or ravine. Find a
prominent feature -- like a trashcan -- on one side,
then pace upstream 50 feet on the other side of
the feature and measure the angle across the
stream to the prominent feature. The width of the
stream is 50 times the tangent of the angle.
http://www.ehow.com/info_8674543_ideas-trigprojects.html
A circle with a radius of one is what’s
known as the unit circle.
 With the radius being 1, it makes it easier
to directly find sine, cosine, and tangent
which are used in Trigonometry.
 Circles and triangles are related
because they are both 2 dimensional
shapes and are used in Trigonometry.


Danino. "History of Trigonometry." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/16577811/History-of-Trigonometry>.

Hunt, Joseph. "The Beginnings of Trigonometry." Rutgers.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~cherlin/History/Papers2000/hunt.html>.

"How Do Agoura Hills Electricians Use Trigonometry?" How Do Agoura Hills Electricians Use
Trigonometry? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
›

<http://9vbatteries.org/how-do-agoura-hills-electricians-use-trigonometry/>.
Hunt, Joseph. "The Beginnings of Trigonometry." Rutgers.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~cherlin/History/Papers2000/hunt.html>.

"The Trigonometric Functions by Stefan Waner and Steven R. Costenoble." The Six Trigonometric
Functions. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2012.
›

<http://people.hofstra.edu/Stefan_Waner/trig/trig2.html>.
"What Do Engineers Use Trigonometry For?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
<http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_engineers_use_trigonometry_for>.

"What Is Trigonometry?" What Is Trigonometry? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2012.
›

<http://www.cut-the-knot.org/WhatIs/WhatIsTrigonometry.shtml >.
"3D Animator Job and Career Information." 3D Animator Job and Career Information. N.p., n.d. Web.
03 Sept. 2012.
›
<http://www.mymajors.com/careers-and-jobs/3D-Animator>.