Application of Trigonometry in

Biomechanics
• Find a distance or displacement given a set of
coordinates
• Separate muscle force into a component causing
movement and a component affecting joint
stability
• Analyze projectile motion (baseball, discus,
javelin, basketball, etc.)
• Find the net force acting on an object or body
segment
• Analyze the effect of the weight of a body
segment or outside force on movement
 Basic Distance Formula
• Objects in biomechanical analysis are often
located as coordinates on a graph.
• The displacement of these objects from one
position to another can be calculated using
trigonometric functions
 Basic Distance Formula
• GIVEN: The X and Y coordinates, in
meters, of an object as it travels from one
position to another are (2, 4) and (5, 8)
• FIND: The distance the object travels from
the first to the second position.
DIAGRAMS: Ym

Coordinates (m)
(X2, Y2)
X Y
X1 = 2 Y1= 4 d
X2 = 5 Y2 = 8 (X1, Y1)

Xm
 DIAGRAMS: Ym

Coordinates (m)
(X2, Y2)
X Y
X1 = 2 Y1= 4 d
X2 = 5 Y2 = 8 (X1, Y1)

FORMULA: Xm
d = √(X2 – X1)2 + (Y2 – Y1)2
• The solution is based on the Pythagorean Theorem.
– For any right triangle, the square of the length of the
hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the
remaining two sides, or,
C2 = A2 + B2 where C is the hypotenuse and A and B are
the other two sides. (X , Y )
2 2

C
B

(X1 , Y1 )
A
In this case our distance, d, is the hypotenuse of the
triangle (side C), side A is equal to X2 - X1 , and side B
is equal to Y2 - Y1 . Therefore, C = A2 + B2 or

d = (X2 – X1)2 + (Y2 – Y1)2

 DIAGRAMS: Ym

Coordinates (m)
(X2, Y2)
X Y
X1 = 2 Y1= 4 d
X2 = 5 Y2 = 8 (X1, Y1)

SOLUTION:
Xm
d = √(5 m – 2 m)2 + (8 m – 4 m)2 = 5 m
A quarterback is standing on his own 20 yard line
and is 25 yards from the right sideline. He throws the
ball to a receiver that is on the opponent’s 35 yard
line and is 2 yards from the right sideline when he
catches the ball.
A) What was the horizontal distance covered by the
ball before it was caught?
B) If the ball was in the air for 3.5 seconds, what was
the average forward or horizontal velocity of the ball
during flight?
Note that in this case the football field itself is
used as a coordinate system.
20 yds 35 yds

50 yd line
quarterback
receiver
C
B
25 yds
A 2 yds

100 yds
• Given:
X1 = 20 yds (This is the quarterback’s position
relative to the goal line.)
X2 = 100 yds – 35 yds = 65 yds (This sets all of the
measurements relative to the same reference (or
goal) line.) (This is the receiver’s position
relative to the goal line.)
t = 3.5 sec
Quarterback is 25 yards from sideline (Y1 = 25 yds )
Receiver is 2 yards from sideline (Y2 = 2 yds)
• Find:
A) The horizontal distance traveled by the football
(df)
B) The average horizontal velocity of the football
(vf)
 You could also represent the
Y yds coordinates on a standard X-Y
graph. Distance from the goal
line would be x-coordinates and
distance from the sideline would
(20, 25) be y-coordinates.
25
C
B
(65, 2)
A
2
0, 0 X yds
20 65
 Diagram and Derived
p1
Information p
2

25 yds B

A 2 yds

• A = 65 yds – 20 yds = 45 yds

• B = 25 yds – 2 yds = 23 yds
• C = horizontal distance traveled by the football = df
 Formulas
A) df = C = A2 + B2
B) vf = df /t

Solutions
A) df = (45 yds)2 + (23 yds)2

df = 50.54 yds = (50.54 yds)(3 ft/yd) = 151.62 ft

B) vf = 151.62 ft / 3.5 sec

vf = 43.32 ft / sec