What Is This Module About?

In Trigonometric Functions Part 1, you were introduced to the world of trigonometry.

You learned about angles and their measurements and about complementary and supplementary
angles. You also found out what the six trigonometric functions are.
In this module, you will learn about the values of the trigonometric functions of special
angles. You will also be able to appreciate the importance of these special angles as they are
applied in everyday life situations.
This module contains four lessons:
Lesson 1—Special Angles
Lesson 2—Reference Angles
Lesson 3—Using a Scientific Calulator: Sin, Cos and Tan Keys
Lesson 4—Trigonometric Functions in Everyday Life

What Will You Learn From This Module?

After studying this module, you should be able to:

♦ find the values of trigonometric functions of an angle using special or reference angles;
♦ use the scientific calculator to determine the trigonometric functions of any angle; and
♦ use trigonometric functions to solve problems in daily life.

Wait!

Before you continue reading this module, please make sure that you have already completed
the module Trigonometric Functions Part 1.

1
 Let’s See What You Already Know

Before you start studying this module, find out first how well you know the topics to be
discussed by taking the following test.
A. Match the trigonometric functions in Column A with the appropriate numeric values in
Column B.

A B

1. tan 30° a. 2
2. sec 150° b. 1/2

3. sin 315° c. 33
4. csc 45° d. 1

5. cos 300° e. −2 3 3

6. cot 135° f. – 2 2
7. tan 225° g. –1

B. Use your scientific calculator to find the values of the following.

1. sin 23°
2. sec 127°
3. tan 305°
4. cot 192°
5. csc 68°

C. Use trigonometric functions to solve the following problems.

1. A surveyor wants to find the height of a tree. He measures the angle between his line of
sight and the top of the tree and finds it to be 47°. The man is 5 feet (ft.) tall and he is
10 meters (m) away from the tree. What is the height of the tree?

2
 2. A man in Town A observes a balloon directly above Town B at an angle of 19° with
the horizontal. How high is the balloon if Town A is 15 kilometers (km) from Town B?

Well, how was it? Do you think you fared well? Compare your answers with those in the
Answer Key on pages 35 and 36 to find out.
If all your answers are correct, very good! This shows that you already know much about
the topics in this module. You may still study the module to review what you already know. Who
knows, you might learn a few more new things as well.
If you got a low score, don’t feel bad. This means that this module is for you. It will help you
understand some important concepts that you can apply in your daily life. If you study this module
carefully, you will learn the answers to all the items in the test and a lot more! Are you ready?
You may now go to the next page to begin Lesson 1.

3
 LESSON 1

Special Angles

In trigonometry, there are certain angles, particularly those measuring 30°, 45° and 60°, that
deserve special attention. These angles are used more often than other angles, thus they are called
special angles.
In this lesson, you will learn more about special angles. You will also learn how they are
used in solving problems in everyday life.

Let’s Study and Analyze

Figure 1 below shows an equilateral triangle. An equilateral triangle is a triangle having

equal sides. Each angle in an equilateral triangle has a measure of 60°.

60°

60° 60°

Fig. 1

If we divide the triangle in figure 1 into two by bisecting one of the angles, we get two right
triangles as shown in figure 2.

30° 30°

90° 90°
60° 60°
A B
Fig. 2

Two triangles are formed—triangles A and B. They are both 30°– 60° right triangles. In a
triangle of this type, the hypotenuse is always twice as long as the shortest side and the longer
side is 3 times as long as the shortest side. The shortest side is opposite the 30° angle while the
longer side is opposite the 60° angle.

4
 Suppose the length of the hypotenuse of triangles A and B is 2 units, then based on the
properties of a 30° – 60° right triangle, triangles A and B would have the following
measurements:

2 2
3 3

1 1
A B

Since both are right triangles, we use the Pythagorean theorem to check whether the above
measurements are correct.
Applying the Pythagorean theorem, we have:

c2 = a2 + b2
2 2 = 12 + ( 3)
2

4 = 1+ 3
4=4

Therefore, the measurements are correct.

Let’s Learn

How do you solve problems involving 30°– 60° right triangles? Let’s consider the following
problem.
EXAMPLE The hypotenuse of a 30° – 60° right triangle has a length of 7. What is the
length of the other two sides?
To solve this problem, let us first recall the following properties of a 30° – 60° right triangle:
♦ The hypotenuse is always twice as long as the shortest side.

♦ The longer side has a length that is 3 times as long as that of the shortest side.

♦ The shortest side is opposite the 30° angle.

♦ The longer side is opposite the 60° angle.
Let us look at the problem again and determine the given facts.
From the problem, we know that the hypotenuse has a length of 7 units.

5
 We assign a to represent the length of the shortest side and c to represent the length of the
hypotenuse.
Let a = length of the shortest side
le2a = c = length of hypotenuse
le2a = 7
7
le2a = = length of the shortest side
2

We also know that the longer side has a length that is 3 times as long as that of the
shortest side. Designating the longer side as b, we have:

7
b= 3
2

7 7
So, the three sides of the right triangle are: c = 7, a = and b = 3.
2 2
Let’s check the answers using the Pythagorean theorem:

c2 = a2 + b2
2 2
7 7 
7 =  +
2
3
2 2 
49  49 
49 = +  ⋅ 3
4  4 
49 147
49 = +
4 4
196
49 =
4
49 = 49

Therefore, the answers are correct.

Let’s recall all the steps we did to solve the problem.
STEP 1 Determine the given facts.
length of hypotenuse c = 7 units
STEP 2 Determine what is asked for in the problem.
What is the length of the other two sides of the right triangle?

6
STEP 3 Find the length of the shortest side.
We use the property of the 30°– 60° right triangle which states that the
hypotenuse is always twice as long as the shortest side.
Let a = the shortest side
Le2a = c = the length of the hypotenuse
Substituting the given length of the hypotenuse,

2a = 7
7
a=
2

STEP 4 Find the length of the longer side.

We know that for a 30°– 60° right triangle that the longer side is 3 times
as long as the shortest side. Designating b as the longer side, we have

7
b= 3
2
STEP 5 Use the Pythagorean theorem to check the values obtained.

c2 = a2 + b2
2 2
7 7 
7 =  +
2
3
2 2 
49  49 
49 = +  ⋅ 3
4  4 
49 147
49 = +
4 4
196
49 =
4
49 = 49

7
 Let’s Try This

The hypotenuse of a 30° – 60° right triangle is 5. Find the length of the other two sides.
Solve this problem using the step-by-step procedure.
STEP 1 Determine the given facts.
length of the hypotenuse c = 5 units

STEP 2 Determine what is asked for in the problem.

What is the length of the other two sides of the right triangle?

STEP 3 Find the length of the shortest side.

First know the property of a 30°– 60° right triangle that you can use with the
given facts.
The property is:
_________________________________________________________

Let ___ = the shortest side

___ = c = the length of the hypotenuse
Substituting the length of the hypotenuse,
___ = ___
= ___
STEP 4 Find the length of the longer side.
Know the property pertaining to the longer side of a 30°– 60° right triangle.

b = ___
STEP 5 Use the Pythagorean theorem to check the values obtained.
c2 = a2 + b2

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 36.

8
 Let’s Learn

Let’s recall the 30° – 60° right triangle in figure 2.

30°

3 2

90°
60°

As shown in the figure, the hypotenuse has a length of 2 units. As shown above, the side
opposite the 30° angle has a length of 1 unit. The side adjacent the 30° has a length 3 . The
triangle then has the following measurements:
hypotenuse c = 2
side opposite 30° angle a = 1
side adjacent to 30° angle b = 3

Using the definitions of the trigonometric functions, we have the following:

opposite side a 1
sin 30° = = =
hypotenuse c 2
adjacent side b 3
cos 30° = = =
hypotenuse c 2
opposite side a 1 3
tan 30° = = = =
adjacent side b 3 3

Note: The denominator 3 is a radical and was simplified to the form

3 3. Read the module Exponents and Radicals to understand
the concept.

hypotenuse c 2
csc 30° = = = =2
opposite side a 1
hypotenuse c 2 2 3
sec 30° = = = =
adjacent side b 3 3
adjacent side b 3
cot 30° = = = = 3
opposite side a 1

9
 Let’s Try This

Using the same 30°– 60° triangle in figure 2, determine the values of the trigonometric
functions for 60°.
To do this, let us recall the measurements of the 30°– 60° triangle in figure 2.
hypotenuse = c = 2
side opposite 60° angle = a = 3
side adjacent to 60° angle = b = 1
Using the above measurements, the following are the values of the six trigonometric
functions of ∠ 60°:

a
1. sin 60° = = _________
c

b
2. cos 60° = = _________
c

a
3. tan 60° = = _________
b

c
4. csc 60° = = _________
a

c
5. sec 60° = = _________
b

b
6. cot 60° = = _________
a

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 36.

Let’s Study and Analyze

Another type of triangle of special consideration is the 45°– 45° right triangle. This triangle is
an isosceles triangle and thus has two sides having the same length. If we let the sides have a
measure of 1 and if c represents the hypotenuse, the triangle would be represented by the figure
below.

45°
1 c

45°
1
Fig. 3

10
 Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can compute for the value of the hypotenuse c:
c = 12 +12
c=2
c= 2
Therefore, a 45°– 45° right triangle would have the following values for the six trigonometric
functions:

1 2
sin 45° = =
2 2
cos 45° = _______
1
tan 45° = = 1
1
2
csc 45° = = 2
1
sec 45° = _______
1
cot 45° = = 1
1

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 37.

Let’s See What You Have Learned

Complete the table below:

Trigonometric Function o
30 45

sin 1
2
cos

tan

cot

sec

csc

11
 Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 37. Did you get a perfect
score? If you did, that’s very good. If you did not, don’t worry. Just review the parts of the lesson
you did not understand very well. Afterward, you may proceed to Lesson 2.

Let’s Remember

♦ The values of the six trigonometric functions of a 30° angle are:

1 3
sin 30° = cos 30° =
2 2
3
tan 30° = cot 30° = 3
3

2 3
sec 30° = csc 30° = 2
3

♦ The values of the six trigonometric functions of a 45° angle are:

2 2
sin 45° = cos 45° =
2 2
tan 45° = 1 cot 45° = 1

sec 45° = 2 csc 45° = 2

♦ The values of the six trigonometric functions of a 60° angle are:

3 1
sin 60° = cos 60° =
2 2

3
tan 60° = 3 cot 60° =
3

2 3
sec 60° = 2 csc 60 =
3

12
 LESSON 2

Reference Angles

This lesson will tell you how to find the values of the trigonometric functions of other angles
with measurements that are multiples of 30°, 45° and 60°. You will discover that their values are
similar to what you have learned in the previous lesson.

Let’s Study and Analyze

∠Α
∠Β

Look at the terminal side of ∠A. What is the acute angle formed by this terminal side with
the horizontal axis?
If your answer is ∠B, you are right. ∠B is the acute angle formed by the terminal side of
∠A and the horizontal axis. ∠B is called the reference angle of ∠A.
Here is another example.

∠1

∠2

13
 What is the acute angle formed between the terminal side of ∠1 and the horizontal axis? If
your answer is ∠2, you are right. The acute angle formed between the terminal side of ∠1 and
the horizontal axis is ∠2. Therefore, the reference angle of ∠1 is ∠2.
Now, suppose that in the preceding picture, ∠1 has a value of 120°. What do you think is
the value of its reference angle ∠2?
Let us recall that a flat horizontal surface has an angle of 180°. If we measure a certain angle
from the surface, the measurement of the reference angle of this angle is equal to 180° minus the
measurement of the first angle. In this case, ∠1 has a value of 120°. We subtract this from 180°
to get the value of the reference angle.

180°

120°

∠2 = 180° – ∠1
= 180° – 120°
= 60°
Therefore the reference angle measures 60°.
Take note that reference angles are acute angles. They are used to determine trigonometric
values based on the measurements of special angles. We will learn more about this in the
following sections.

Let’s Learn

The reference angle r of a given angle θ is the acute angle formed by the horizontal axis and
the terminal side of the given angle.
The following are the formulas for finding the reference angle of a given angle θ .

♦ If θ is greater than 90° but less than 180°,

r = 180° – θ ( 90°< θ < 180°)

♦ If θ is greater than 180° but less than 270°,

r = θ – 180° ( 180°< θ < 270°)

♦ If θ is greater than 270° but less than 360°,

r = 360° – θ ( 270° < θ < 360°)

14
 Let’s Try This

Now let’s try to solve some simple problems regarding reference angles.
PROBLEM 1 What is the reference angle of 120°?
Here is how to solve the problem step-by-step:
STEP 1 Determine in which interval the given angle belongs.
120° is between 90° and 180°.
STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
The angle is between 90° and 180°, therefore we use the formula:
r = 180° – θ
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
r = 180° – 120° = 60°
Therefore, the reference angle of 120° is 60°.
PROBLEM 2 Find the reference angle of 210°.
STEP 1 Determine in which interval the given angle belongs.
210° is between 180° and 270°.
STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
___________
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
r = __________ = ________
Therefore, the reference angle of 210° is _____.
PROBLEM 3 Find the reference angle of 300°.
STEP 1 Determine in which interval the angle belongs.
______________________________
STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
___________
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
____________________
Therefore, the reference angle of 300° is _____.

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 38.

15
 Let’s Learn

The numeric value of the trigonometric function of a given angle is equal to the numeric value
of the trigonometric function of its reference angle.
When we say numeric value, it means that we also consider the sign (positive or negative) of
the trigonometric function.
We note that a trigonometric function is positive or negative depending on the measure of
the angle. In determining the sign of a numeric value, we observe the following rules:
1. If the measure of θ is greater than 90° but less than 180°, sin θ and csc θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
2. If the measure of θ is greater than 180° but less than 270°, tan θ and cot θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
3. If the measure of θ is greater than 270° but less than 360°, cos θ and sec θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.

Let’s Try This

Now let’s try to solve for the numeric values of the trigonometric functions of a given angle.
PROBLEM 1 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 120°.
We have previously learned that the reference angle of 120° is 60°.
Therefore, we will use the trigonometric function values of the special angle
60° that you learned in Lesson 1.
Thus, we have:
1
sin 120° = 60° =
2
– 3
cos 120° = –cos 60° =
2
–1
tan 120° = –tan 60° =
3
cot 120° = –cot 60° = 3
–2
sec 120° = –sec 60° =
3
csc 120° = csc 60° = 2

Take note that only the sine and cosecant functions have positive values, as stated in the
rules.

16
Let us solve the next problem step-by-step.
PROBLEM 2 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 135°.
STEP 1 Determine the reference angle of the given angle.
135° is between 90° and 180°, so we use the formula:
r = 180° – θ
= 180° – 135°
r = 45°
Therefore, the reference angle of 135° is the special angle 45°.
STEP 2 Determine the values of the trigonometric functions of the reference angle.
In this case, we use the six trigonometric functions of 45° given in Lesson 1.
STEP 3 Determine the signs of the values.
The given angle is 135°. Therefore, sine and cosecant are the only positive
functions. We thus have:
1 2
sin 135° = sin 45° = =
2 2

–1 – 2
cos 135° = –cos 45° = =
2 2
tan135° = –tan 45° = –1
cot 135° = –cot 45° = –1
sec 135° = –sec 45° = – 2

csc 135° = csc 45° = 2

PROBLEM 3 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 210°.
STEP 1 Determine the reference angle of the given angle.
210° is between 180° and 270°, so we use the formula:

Therefore, the reference angle of 210° is the special angle ____.

17
 STEP 2 Determine the values of the trigonometric functions of the reference angle.
We use the six trigonometric functions of __________.

1
sin __________ =
3
3
cos __________ =
2
3
tan __________ =
3
cot __________ = 3
sec __________ = __________
csc __________ = __________

STEP 3 Determine the signs of the values.

The given angle is 210°. Therefore, tangent and cotangent are the only
positive functions. We thus have:

sin 210° = –sin __________ = __________

cos 210° = –cot __________ = __________
tan 210° = tan __________ = __________
cot 210° = cot __________ = __________
sec 210° = –sec __________ = __________
csc 210° = –csc __________ = __________

PROBLEM 4 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 300°.
The reference angle of 300° is _______.
sin 300° = ________ = ________
cos 300° = ________ = ________
tan 300° = ________ = ________
cot 300° = ________ = ________
sec 300° = ________ = ________
csc 300° = ________ = ________

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on pages 38 and 39.

18
 Let’s See What You Have Learned

A. Find the reference angle of each of the following angles.

1. 120°
2. 150°
3. 225°
4. 300°
5. 315°
B. Determine the values of the following functions.
1. sin 135°
2. cos 210°
3. tan 240°
4. sec 315°
5. csc 330°
Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 40. Did you get a perfect
score? If you did, that’s very good. If you did not, that’s okay. Just review the parts of the lesson
you did not understand very well before you move on to Lesson 3.

Let’s Remember

♦ We use the following steps in computing for the reference angle of a given angle θ :

STEP 1 Determine in which interval the given angle θ belongs.

STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
♦ We use the corresponding formulas in computing for the reference angle according to
the following rules.
• If the given angle θ is greater than 90° but less than 180° (90° < θ < 180°), the
formula to be used is: r = 180°– θ .

• If the angle θ is greater than 180° but less than 270° (180° < θ < 270°), the
formula to be used is: r = θ – 180°.

• If the given angle θ is greater than 270° but less than 360° (270° < θ < 360°),
the formula to be used is: r = 360° – θ .

19
♦ The numeric values of the trigonometric functions of a given angle is equal to the
numeric values of the trigonometric functions of its reference angle.
♦ In determining the signs of the numeric values of the trigonometric functions of a certain
angle θ , we follow these rules:

• If the measure of θ is greater than 90° but less than 180°, sin θ and csc θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
• If the measure of θ is greater than 180° but less than 270°, tan θ and cot θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
• If the measure of θ is greater than 270° but less than 360°, cos θ and sec θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.

20
 LESSON 3

Using a Scientific Calculator:

Sin, Cos and Tan Keys

Not all angles are special angles nor do they all have reference angles that are 30°, 45° or
60°. Most angles, in fact, are nonspecial. Therefore it is necessary to know how to get the values
of the trigonometric functions of these angles using a scientific calculator.
This lesson will teach you how to determine the values of the trigonometric functions of any
given angle using your scientific calculator. Scientific calculators are used in computations
involving trigonometric functions, as well as in other applications in statistics and calculus.

Let’s Study and Analyze

The picture is one of many different kinds of scientific calculators.

Notice that in contrast to the ordinary calculator,
scientific calculators have additional keys. These additional
keys perform multiple functions as stated by the SHIFT or
2nd F keys, depending on the type of calculator you are
using. This command is used when a key has alternate
functions. In this lesson, besides the power and digit keys,
we are going to need a few of these additional keys. These
are:

sin cos tan 1/x

SHIFT
(the INV key in some calculators)

Let’s look at the figure below.

35°

21
 The picture on the previous page gives us the measure of the angle the car makes with the
top of the building. The nonspecial angle measures 35°. How do we solve for the value of sin 35°
using a scientific calculator?
It’s now time to use your scientific calculator. Ask your Instructional Manager to check if
what you’re doing is right.
This is how we do it.
Press the ON key of your calculator.
Since we are given the measure of the angle 35°, press the 3 and 5 keys.
Since we are looking for the sin value, press the sin key.
(Take note that scientific calculators differ and that some calculators may require that we
press the trigonometric function key first before the measurement of the angle.)
What value appeared in your calculator?
If the value you got is 0.573576436, then you got it right!
Therefore, sin 35° = 0.573576436 or, if rounded off to four decimal places, sin 35° =
0.5736.

Let’s Try This

EXAMPLE What is cos 21°?

Press the following keys: 2 1 cos

You should get 0.9336.

Now try to find the values of the following functions on your own.
1. sin 54° = __________
2. sin 198° = __________
3. cos 285° = __________
4. tan 33° = __________
5. tan 124° = __________

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 40.

22
 Let’s Study and Analyze

Let’s look at the picture shown on page 21 again.

se
tenu
po opposite
hy
side

35°

adjacent side

Previously, we were asked to determine the sine value of the angle that the car makes with
the top of the building. We got sin 35° = 0.5736. What does this value mean?
From the previous module, you have learned that the sine of an angle is the ratio of the side
opposite that angle to the hypotenuse or

opposite side
θ sin =
hypotenuse

This means that the sine value in this situation is the ratio of the height of the building
(opposite side) to the distance of the car from the top of the building (hypotenuse).
Now, suppose we want to get the ratio of the distance of the car from the top of the building
(hypotenuse) to the height of the building (opposite side). In this case, we will have to use the
inverse of the sine function, which is cosecant.

hypotenuse
csc θ =
opposite side

So now we are ready to find this value by using the function csc 35°.
But as you can see, no keys are indicated for the csc and the other inverse functions. This is
where the 1/x is put into use.
How does this key work? If we punch a value in the calculator the result would be 1 divided
by the punched value. Let’s try the following and see for ourselves.
Press the following keys: 2 1/x

You should get 0.5, which is equal to 1 divided by the given value 2.

23
 1
Recall that csc θ =
sin θ
Can you now figure out what we are supposed to do to get csc 35°? We input the measure
of the angle then get its sine value and finally get its inverse.

3 5 sin 1/x

If 1/x or x–1 is placed above the button, we press first the SHIFT or 2nd F keys before
pressing 1/x .

What did you get? If you got 1.743446796, then you are right!
Therefore, csc 35° = 1.7434.

Let’s Try This

EXAMPLE What is sec 37°?

Press the following: 3 7 cos 1/x .
You should get 1.2521.
Now try to find the values of the following functions on your own.
1. csc 237°
2. csc 32°
3. sec 66°
4. cot 41°
5. cot 228°
Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 40.

Let’s See What You Have Learned

Find the value of each of the following trigonometric functions.

1. sin 57°
2. cos 66°
3. tan 116°
4. tan 129°
5. cos 245°

24
 6. sin 337°
7. cot 48°
8. sec 134°
9. csc 244°
10. sec 349°

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 40. Did you get a perfect
score? If you did, that’s very good. If you did not, that’s okay. Just review the parts of the lesson
you did not understand very well. Afterward, you may proceed to Lesson 4.

Let’s Remember

♦ To determine the value of the sine, cosine or tangent function of any angle, press the
following keys on the scientific calculator:
1st: the measurement of given angle
2nd: the given trigonometric function (sin, cos or tan)
♦ To determine the value of the cosecant, secant or cotangent function of any angle,
press the following keys on the scientific calculator:
1st: the measurement of the given angle
2nd: the reciprocal of the given trigonometric function
3rd: the key 1/x or x–1

♦ If 1/x or x–1 is placed above the key, first press SHIFT or 2nd F .
♦ Scientific calculators differ. In some models, you have to press first the trigonometric
function key before you input the measurement of the angle. The answer can be
obtained by pressing either = or EXE .

25
 LESSON 4

Trigonometric Functions in Everyday Life

You found out in the previous lessons how to find the numeric values of the trigonometric
functions of an angle. In this lesson, you will learn how to solve some normally encountered
problems involving trigonometric functions.

Let’s Study and Analyze

40°

5 ft.

Kevin was interested in measuring the height of the tree in the picture above. How did he
solve for it? Let’s see how he did it.
First, he measured the height from the ground to his eye level. It was 5 ft.
Then he used a protractor to measure the angle between the horizontal along his line of sight
and the top of the tree. It measured 40°.
He then measured his distance from the tree. It was 12 ft.
Finally, he did the following computations:

opposite side opposite side opposite

tan 40° = = =
adjacent side distance from the tree 12 ft

opposite side
Thus, tan 40° =
12 ft.
Rearranging the equation, we have
opposite side = tan 40° (12ft.)
opposite side = 0.8391 (12 ft.)
opposite side = 10.0692 or 10.07 ft.

Thus the height of the tree is 10.07 ft. + 5 ft. = 15.07 ft. = 15 ft.

26
 Here is another example:

100 ft.

60°

Jack is on top of a 100 ft. tower, looking out over the road. He spotted his car parked at a
distance from the tower. How far is his car from the base of the tower?
Let’s solve this problem a step by step.
STEP 1 Determine the relationship of the given side with the given angle.
In the right triangle in the picture, the height of the tower (100 ft.) is the side
opposite the 60° angle.
STEP 2 Determine the relationship of the unknown side with the given angle.
The unknown side is the side adjacent to the 60° angle.
STEP 3 Determine the appropriate trigonometric function to be used.
Here we are going to use the cotangent function.

adjacent side adjacent side

cot 60° = =
opposite side 100 ft.

STEP 4 Substitute the given values and solve for the unknown.

adjacent side
cot 60° =
100 ft.
Thus, we have adjacent side = cot 60° (100 ft.)
Thus, we have adjacent side = ______ (100 ft.) = ______
Therefore, Jack’s car is ______ ft. from the base of the tower.

Did you get 57.73 ft.? If you did, you are right. The value of cot 60°, 0.5773,
multiplied by 100 ft. will give you 57.73 ft.

27
 Let’s Try This

Try to solve the following problem on your own.

5 ft.
63°

35 ft.

Suppose a man is standing on top of a 35 ft. building. He looks down to an open manhole
and estimates that the angle from the horizontal down to the manhole is 63°. If the man is 5 ft. tall,
how far is the manhole from the base of the building?
STEP 1 Determine the relationship of the given side with the given angle.
In the right triangle represented in the picture above, the height of the building, 35
ft., is the side opposite the 63° angle.
STEP 2 Determine the relationship of the unknown side with the given angle.
The unknown side is the side adjacent to the 63° angle.
STEP 3 Determine the appropriate trigonometric function to be used.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

STEP 4 Substitute the given values and solve for the unknown.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Therefore, the base of the building is ____ ft. from the open manhole.

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 41.

28
 Let’s Learn

You can also solve problems involving trigonometric functions by using a shortcut method.
A scuba diver makes an angle of 50° with the vertical when diving into an ocean. How far
must he swim to be 100 meters below the water surface?

50°

100 m

A right triangle is formed with the acute angle 50°. The distance from the water surface to
the desired position of the diver (100 meters) is the side adjacent to 50°. We are asked for the
length of the hypotenuse.
We will use the secant function.

distance the diver must swim

sec 50° =
100 m
Thus, we have
distance the diver must swim = sec 50° (100 m)
distance the diver must swim = 1.556 (100 m)
distance the diver must swim = 155.6 m
Thus, the diver must swim 155.6 m.

29
 Let’s Try This

Do the following exercise on your own.

From a lighthouse 35 m above sea level, the angle from the horizontal to the
ship is 25°. How far is the boat from the top of the lighthouse?

25°

35 m

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 41.

Let’s See What You Have Learned

1. Mike wants to find the height of a tree. He measures the angle from the horizontal to
the top of the tree and finds it to be 47°. He is 1 m tall and 10 meters away from the
tree. What is the height of the tree?

30
 2. A scuba diver makes an angle of 46° with the vertical when diving into an ocean. How
deep is he in the water if he swims 110 m?

3. A ladder is leaning against a wall at an angle of 54° with the ground. If the top of the
ladder is 2 m from the ground, how long is the ladder?

4. A family picture is hung on the wall. Jack noticed that the angle of the picture from the
horizontal is 25°. He is 1 m tall. If he is 3 m away from the wall, how high is the
picture?

Compare you answers with those in the Answer Key on pages 42 and 43. Did you get a
perfect score? If you did, that’s very good. If you did not, that’s okay. Just review the parts of the
lesson you did not understand very well before you move on to the next part of the module.

Let’s Remember

♦ We do the following steps in solving problems involving right triangles:

STEP 1 Determine the relationship of the given side with the given angle.
STEP 2 Determine the relationship of the unknown side with the given angle.
STEP 3 Determine the appropriate trigonometric function to be used.
STEP 4 Substitute the given values and solve for the unknown.

You have now reached the end of this module. Congratulations! Did you enjoy studying it?
Did you learn a lot from it? The following is a summary of its main points to help you remember
them better.

31
 Let’s Sum Up

♦ The values of the six trigonometric functions of the special angles are the following:

Trigonometric Function 30° 45° 60°

1 2 3
sin
2 2 2

3 2 1
cos
2 2 2

3
tan 1 3
3

3
cot 3 1
3

2 3
sec 2 2
3

2 3
csc 2 2 3

♦ We use the following formulas in computing for the reference angle:

r = 180° – θ ( 90°< θ < 180° )

r = θ – 180° ( 180°< θ < 270°)

r = 360° – θ ( 270° < θ < 360°)

♦ In determining the sign of a numerical value, we have the following considerations:
• If the measure of θ is greater than 90° but less than 180° sin θ and csc θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
• If the measure of θ is greater than 180° but less than 270°, tan θ and cot θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
• If the measure of θ is greater than 270° but less than 360°, cos θ and sec θ are
positive. The other four functions are negative.
♦ To determine the value of the sine, cosine or tangent function of any angle, we press
the following keys on the scientific calculator:
1st: the measure of the given angle
2nd: the given trigonometric function (sin, cos or tan)

32
♦ To determine the value of the cosecant, secant or cotangent function of any angle, we
press the following keys on the scientific calculator:
1st: the measure of the given angle
2nd: the reciprocal of the given trigonometric function
3rd: the button 1/x or x–1

♦ If 1/x or x–1 is placed above the button, we first press SHIFT or 2nd F .
♦ In some models, you have to press first the trigonometric function key before you input
the measurement of the angle. The answer can be obtained by pressing either = or
EXE .
♦ We do the following steps in solving problems involving right triangles:
STEP 1 Determine the relationship of the given side with the given angle.
STEP 2 Determine the relationship of the unknown side with the given angle.
STEP 3 Determine the appropriate trigonometric function to be used.
STEP 4 Substitute the given values and solve for the unknown.

33
 What Have You Learned?

A. Match the trigonometric functions of special angles in Column A with their

corresponding values in Column B. Write the letters on the lines before the numbers.
A B

____1. tan 30° a. – 1/ 2

____2. sec 60° b. 1/2
____3. sin 30° c. 3
____4. csc 45° d. 1
____5. cos 60° e. 3 3
____6. cot 30° f. 2
____7. tan 45° g. 2
B. Use your scientific calculator to find the values of the following.
1. sin 28°
2. sec 125°
3. tan 303°
4. cot 198°
C. Use trigonometric functions to solve the following problems.
1. Rachel wants to find the height of a tree. She measured the angle from the
horizontal to the top of the tree and found it to be 49°. She is 1.2 m tall and is
9 m away from the tree. What is the height of the tree?

2. A man in Town A observes a balloon directly above Town B at an angle of 21°

with the horizontal. How high is the balloon if Town A is 20 km from Town B?

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on pages 44 and 45. If you got a
score of:
12–13 Very good! You learned a lot from this module. You are ready to move on to the
next module.
9–11 Good! Just review the parts of the module you did not understand very well.
0–7 You should study the whole module again.

34
 Answer Key

A. Let’s See What You Already Know (pages 2–3)

A. 1. c
2. e
3. f
4. a
5. b
6. g
7. d
B. 1. 0.3907
2. –1.6616
3. –1.4281
4. 4.7046
5. 1.0785
C. 1.

47°

5 ft.

10 ft.

Let x = the height of the tree

x
tan 47° =
10 ft.
x
1.0723 =
10 ft.
x = 1.0723 (10 ft.)
x = 10.72 ft.
height of tree = x + 5 ft.
= 15.72 ft.

The tree is 15.72 m high.

35
 2.
x
19°
B 15 km A
x
tan 19° =
15 km

x
0.3443 =
15 km
x = (0.3443) (15 km)
= 5.165 km

B. Lesson 1
Let’s Try This (page 8)
Property: In a 30°– 60° right triangle, the hypotenuse is always twice as long as
the shortest side.
Let a = the length of the shortest side
c = 2a = the length of the hypotenuse
a=5

5
c=
2

5 3
c=
2

Let’s Try This (page 10)

3
1.
2
1
2.
2

3. 3

3
4.
3
5. 2

2 3
6.
3

36
 Let’s Study and Analyze (pages 10–11)

2
cos 45° =
2

sec 45° = 2

Let’s See What You Have Learned (page 11)

Trigonometric
Function o o
30 45

sin 1 2 3
2 2 2

cos 1
3 2
2 2 2

tan
3 1 3
3

3 1 3
cot
3

sec
2 3 2 2
3

csc 2 2 2 3
3

37
C. Lesson 2
Let’s Try This (page 15)
PROBLEM 2 Find the reference angle of 210°.
STEP 1 Determine in which interval the given angle belongs.
120° is between 180° and 270°.
STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
r = θ – 180°
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
r = 210° – 180° = 30°

Therefore, the reference angle of 210° is 30°.

PROBLEM 3 Find the reference angle of 300°.

STEP 1 Determine in which interval the angle belongs.
300° is between 270° and 360°.
STEP 2 Determine which formula for r will be used.
r = 360° – θ
STEP 3 Substitute the value of the given angle.
r = 360° – 300° = 60°
Therefore, the reference angle of 300° is 60°.

Let’s Try This (pages 16–18)

PROBLEM 3 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 210°.
STEP 1 Determine the reference angle of the given angle.
210° is between 180° and 270°, so we use the formula r = θ – 180°.

r = θ – 180°
r = 210° – 180° = 30°
Therefore, the reference angle of 210° is the special angle 30°.
STEP 2 Use the trigonometric function values of the reference angle.

1
sin 30° =
2
3
cos 30° =
2
3
tan 30° =
3

38
 cot 30° = 3
2 3
sec 30° =
3
csc 30° = 2

STEP 3 Determine the signs of the values.

1
sin 210° = –sin 30° = –
2
3
cos 210° = –cos 30° = –
2

3
tan 210° = tan 30° =
3
cot 210° = cot 30° = 3
–2 3
sec 210° = –sec 30° =
3
csc 210° = –csc 30° = –2

PROBLEM 4 Find the values of the six trigonometric functions of the angle 300°.
The reference angle of 300° is 60°.

– 3
sin 300° = –sin 60° =
2

1
cos 300° = cos 60° =
2

tan 300° = –tan 60° = – 3

– 3
cot 300° = –cot 60° =
3
sec 300° = sec 60° = 2

–2 3
csc 300° = –csc 60° =
3

39
 Let’s See What You Have Learned (page 19)
A. 1. 60°
2. 30°
3. 45°
4. 60°
5. 45°

2
B. 1.
2
− 3
2.
2

3
3.
3
4. 2
5. –2

D. Lesson 3
Let’s Try This (page 22)
1. 0.8090
2. –0.3090
3. 0.2588
4. 0.6494
5. –1.4826
Let’s Try This (page 24)
1. –1.1924
2. 1.8871
3. 2.4586
4. 1.1504
5. 0.9004
Let’s See What You Have Learned (pages 24–25)
1. 0.8387
2. 0.4067
3. –2.0503
4. –1.2349
5. –0.4226
6. –0.3907
7. 0.9004
8. –1.4396
9. –1.1126
10. 1.0187

40
E. Lesson 4
Let’s Try This (page 28)

63°

40 ft.

63°
x

Let x = distance of the manhole from the base of the building

35 ft. + 5 ft.
tan 63° =
x
40
1.9626 =
x
40 ft.
x= = 20.38 ft.
1.9626

The manhole is 20.38 ft. away from the building.

Let’s Try This (page 30)

25°
x
35 m

25°

Let x = the distance of the boat from the top of the lighthouse

35 m
sin 25° =
x
35 m
0.4226 =
x
35 m
x=
0.4226
= 82.82 m

The boat is 82.82 m away from the top of the lighthouse.

41
Let’s See What You Have Learned (pages 30–31)
1.

47°

10 m 1m

x
tan 47° =
10 m
x
1.0723 =
10 m
x = 1.0723 (10 m)
= 10.72 m
height of tree = x + 1 m
= 11.72 m

The tree is 11.72 m high.

2.
46°
0m
11
x

Let x = vertical distance of the diver from the surface of the ocean

x
cos 46° =
110 m
x
0.6947 =
110 m
x = 0.6947 (110 m)
= 76.42 m

The diver is 76.42 m below the surface of the ocean.

42
3.

2m

54°

2m
sin 54° =
x
2m
0.8090 =
x
2m
x=
0.8090
= 2.472 m

The ladder is 2.472 m long.

4.
x
25°

1m

3m

x
tan 25° =
3m
x
0.4663 =
3m
x = 0.4663 (3 m )
x = 1.399 m
height of picture = x + 1 m
= 2.399 m

The picture is 2.399 m high.

43
 F. What Have You Learned? (page 34)
A. 1. e
2. g
3. b
4. f
5. b
6. g
7. d

B. 1. 0.4695
2. –1.7434
3. –1.5399
4. 3.0777

C. 1.

x 49°

1.2 m

9m

x
tan 49° =
9m
x
1.1503 =
9m
x = 1.1503 (9 m)
1.1503 = 10.35 m
height of tree = x + 1.2 m
= 11.55 m
The tree is 11.55 m high.

44
 2.
x
21°
20 km

x
tan 21° =
20 km
x
0.38839 =
20 km
x = 0.38389 (20 km )
x = 7.677 km

The balloon is 7.677 km high.

References

Ho, Ju Se T., et al. 21st Century Mathematics: Third Year. Quezon City: Phoenix
Publishing House, Inc., 2000.
SEDP Series: Mathematics IV Textbook. Quezon City: IMC, 1992.

45