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Let’s now look at how we can define trigonometric functions in terms
of letters instead of words. We will begin by looking at a right
triangle along an x-y plane. Notice that the hypotenuse is now
labeled as R, the opposite side is now labeled as Y and the adjacent
side is now labeled as X.
We can now rewrite our trigonometric functions as the following:
Similarly we can rewrite the reciprocal ratios in terms of the
x-y plane as the following:
By rewriting these ratios using specific x-, y- and r- values we
have defined each point that the terminal side passes through. We
can now use Pythagoras’ Theorem to solve for R.
This theorem states that the length of side R is equal to the square
root of side x squared plus side y squared. |
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