Or about 1.7 times as big as the shortest side. With the isosceles right triangle, the two legs measure the same, and the hypotenuse is always Theorem is written: a2 + b2 = c2. What’s so special about the two right triangles shown here is that you have an even more special relationship between the measures of the sides - one that goes beyond (but still works with) the Pythagorean theorem. When you have a 306090 right triangle, the measure of the hypotenuse is always twice the measure of the shortest side, and the other leg is always Special Right Triangles Every right triangle has the property that the sum of the squares of the two legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse (the longest side). The Pythagorean

Trigonometry For Dummies From Trigonometry For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Mary Jane Sterling Trigonometry is the study of triangles, which contain angles, of course. Get to know some special rules for angles and various other important functions, definitions, and translations. Sines and cosines are two trig functions that factor heavily into any study of trigonometry; they have their own formulas and rules that you’ll want to understand if you plan to study trig for very long.įormulas to Help You in Trigonometry Many of the formulas used in trigonometry are also found in algebra and analytic geometry. But trigonometry also has some special formulas usually found just in those discussions. A formula provides you a rule or equation that you can count on to work, every single time. A formula gives a relationship between particular quantities and units. The main trick to using formulas is to know what the different letters represent. In the formulas given here, you have: r (radius); d (diameter or distance); b (base or measure of a side); h (height); a, b, c (measures of sides); x, y (coordinates on a graph); m (slope); M (midpoint); h, k (horizontal and vertical distances from the center); θ (angle theta); and s (arc length). The formulas particular to trigonometry have: sin (sine), cos (cosine), and tan (tangent), although only sin is represented here.

Trig cheat sheet for dummies