THE WORLD OF TRIANGLES AND CIRCLES

Alyanna Jozeah G. Ambalong

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that deals with relationships between the sides and
angles of triangles. In other words, Trigonometry is basically the mathematics of triangle measurement.
Technically, it came from three Greek words, “tri” which means three, “gono” which means side, and
“metron” which means measure.

In Trigonometry, the triangle of most interest is the right triangle—a triangle with a 90-degree
angle. The right angle is commonly shown by a little box on the corner of the angle itself. The triangle
consists of three sides referred to as adjacent (next to the angle), opposite (opposite the angle), and
hypotenuse (the longest side of the triangle).

The main functions in trigonometry are the sine (sin), cosine (cos), and tangent (tan). In triangles,
the sine is always equal to the opposite side divided by the hypotenuse; the cosine is equal to the adjacent
side divided by the hypotenuse; the tangent is equal to opposite side divided by the adjacent side. The
other functions are the cosecant (csc), secant (sec), and cotangent (cot).

While Trigonometry is useful in triangle measurements, its usefulness is not limited to triangles.
It can also be used to the application of circular functions.

The real numbers in Trigonometry are numbers which should be located on a unit circle. A unit
circle is a circle with a radius of one unit and center at the origin of the coordinate plane. All the points on
the unit circle are called trigonometric points.

There are six circular functions of a real number 𝜃 (theta). Sin 𝜃 is equal to the ordinate divided
by the radius; cosine 𝜃 is equal to the abscissa divided by the radius; tangent 𝜃 is equal to the ordinate
divided by abscissa. The remaining three are just the reciprocals of the first three: cosecant 𝜃 is equal to
the radius divided by the ordinate; secant 𝜃 is equal to the radius divided the abscissa; cotangent 𝜃 is
equal to the abscissa divided by the ordinate.

The applications of Trigonometry can be found in engineering, surveying, and navigation aside
from astronomy.