Detailed Summary
In this section, we delve into trigonometric ratios, which are vital relationships that assist in defining the angles and sides of right-angled triangles. For an acute angle θ, the following ratios are defined:
- Sine (sin θ) as the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the hypotenuse:
$$
ext{sin }θ = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Hypotenuse}}
$$
- Cosine (cos θ) as the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse:
$$
ext{cos }θ = \frac{\text{Adjacent}}{\text{Hypotenuse}}
$$
- Tangent (tan θ) as the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side:
$$
ext{tan }θ = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Adjacent}}
$$
Additionally, the reciprocal functions are defined as follows:
- Cosecant (csc θ) = 1/sin θ
- Secant (sec θ) = 1/cos θ
- Cotangent (cot θ) = 1/tan θ
An example illustrated in this section walks through a practical application of these ratios, where given specific lengths in a right triangle, students are tasked with finding the sine and cosine values for 30 degrees. This practical approach helps in grounding the definitions and offers real-world relevance to trigonometric ratios.