What is trigonometry like? is it hard?

11 Answers

• Trigonometry is the study of triangles. No proofs at all, but in my opinion trigonometry is the worst it gets in any math (except statistics). I’m in calculus 3 and I wish I had payed more attention in pre-calc! (which is trigonometry for me)

  Here we deal with angles, where x is any angle.

  So, there’s three basic trig. functions: sin(x), cos(x), and tan(x). In a right triangle (one with a 90 degree angle), sin(x) represents the fraction of the opposite side of the angle x over the hypotenuse (longest) side of the triangle.

  Cos(x) represents the length of the side adjacent (touching) the angle x over the hypotenuse. And tan(x) is the opposite over the adjacent.

  Basically, they will help you remember this with SOHCAHTOA. (Sin Opposite Hypotenuse ….)

  There are things called identities which you will remember too. For example, sin(x) squared plus cos(x) squared = 1. It’s a fact (identity). They will ask you in like a hundred questions to use facts like this to show how an equation is true.

  Also, you learn how to express an angle in “radians” instead of degrees. One radian is 180/pi degrees and vice versa.

  Now that I think about it, the actual class is easy. It was just the fact that I never bothered to remember the trig functions of common angles (30,45,60,90,135,…) that really came back to haunt me.

  Make sure you study and do the homework – it will be easy! Good luck!

• I thought it was really easy. But I’m a math person. If you were good at Algebra 1 and Geometry then you’ll probably do well in trig. It very similar with a couple new formulas. No proofs!!! Only things you really need to know from geometry is some of the special right triangle and soh cah toa stuff. there’s some interesting graphing too but thats about it.

• Trigonometry, as its name implies, has to do with triangle measurement. It is based on six fundamental ratios that can be formed by two sides of a triangle. These ratios are then made into trig functions, so that there are six basic trig functions. Most of trigonometry then has to do with these six trig functions. In particular, you have identities to establish and equations to solve. They are algebraic in principle but trigonometric at heart.

  To do well in trignometry requires proficiency in algebra and some knowledge of geometry.

• Sorry to say, trigonometry involves knowledge of geometry, which is why they generally have one take geometry first. Trigonometry is based on the geometry of the right triangle and from that, many geometric calculations can be obtained relating to length and angle measure. In addition, there are algebraic-like proofs using trigonometric functions.

  Hope this helps and I wish you the best.

• I’m and the exact same way. I came to answers to see too. I was great at algebra 1+2 got all A’s. But for some reason I’m ok in geometry. I just hate all the proofs and stuff. I’m just about to start trig and would love to know how you did. FOr me when I hate a test for algebra i was super confident, but for geometry I was so-so

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  I took Algebra 2 in 9th grade and it was kind of hard for me because I had a bad teacher, but it’s really not that hard once you get the hang of it. You just have to take everything one step at a time really and it’ll be easier to understand. Trig isn’t very hard either.

• Some proofs here and there, mainly just with a few laws involving trig (sine law and cosine law) but overall, it’s pretty easy. It involves geometry since it’s all based on triangles but it’s not bad. Don’t worry =)

• You need trigonometry to understand calculus. Trig is more formulas than proofs.

• trig = triangle, metry = measure of

  measure of triangles

  but its a lot about the relationships between angles and sides, which sounds like geometry but you end up creating ratios and proportions and it’s really algebra from there

• yes