what is trigonometry?

Answer 1

Trigonometry is the branch of mathematics that deals with the relations between the sides and angles of plane or spherical triangles, and the calculations based on them.

Answer 2

Trigonometry (from the Greek Trigona = three angles and metron = measure [1]) is a branch of mathematics which deals with triangles, particularly triangles in a plane where one angle of the triangle is 90 degrees (right angled triangles). Triangles on a sphere are also studied, in spherical trigonometry. Trigonometry specifically deals with the relationships between the sides and the angles of triangles, that is, the trigonometric functions, and with calculations based on these functions.


The Canadarm robotic manipulator on the International Space Station is operated by controlling the angles of its joints. Calculating the final position of the astronaut at the end of the arm requires repeated use of the trigonometric functions of those angles.Trigonometry has important applications in many branches of pure mathematics as well as of applied mathematics and, consequently, much of science. Trigonometry is usually taught in secondary schools, often in a precalculus course.

Answer 3

Trigonometry (from the Greek Trigona = three angles and metron = measure) is a branch of mathematics which deals with triangles, particularly right angled triangles.

Answer 4

Don't know how to explain it in a quick definition , but it involves triangles and their angles / degrees. Parts of trigonometry involve working out what the hypotenouse is (yeah wrong spelling ) , Key words : COS (cosine), SIN and TAN. If you're doing it for school, check out a maths textbook.

Answer 5

It's a branch of mathematics created to make the average person feel like an idiot.

Okay, okay...here's the real definition.

http://www.ask.com/reference/dictionary/ahdict/16003/trigonometry

Answer 6

trigonometry is a type of math that is mainly about sides, angles, planes and those equations.

Answer 7

Trigonometry is the study of the relations between the angles and lengths of sides of triangles.The word trigonemetry comes from the Greek and means triangle measurement

The branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between the sides & also the angles of triangles & the calculations based on them, particularly the trigonometric functions.

Trigonometry began as the computational component of geometry
example- one statement of plane geometry states that a triangle is determined by a side and two angles.
In other words, given one side of a triangle and two angles in the triangle, then the other two sides & the remaining angle are determined.

Trigonometry includes the methods for computing those other two sides.
The remaining angle is easy to find since the sum of the three angles equals 180 degrees (usually written 180°).
If there is anything that distinguishes trigonometry from the rest of geometry, it is that trig depends on angle measurement &
quantities determined by the measure of an angle.

Of course, all of geometry depends on treating angles as quantities, but in the rest of geometry, angles aren't measured, they're just compared or added or subtracted.

Trigonometric functions such as sine, cosine&tangent are used in computations in trigonometry.
These functions relate measurements of angles to measurements of associated straight lines


Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that developed from simple mensuration (measurement of geometric quantities), geometry, and surveying.
In its modern form it makes use of concepts from algebra and analysis.
Initially it involved the mathematics of practical problems, such as construction &land measurement .
It has since been extended to the geometry of three-dimensional spaces in the form of SPHERICAL TRIGONOMETRY.

Trigonometric concepts are used to minimize the amount of measuring involved.
These concepts depend on the concepts of enlargement and similarity.
Equiangular triangles have the same shape, but only in the special case of congruency do they have the same size.
Any set of similar triangles has the invariant property of proportionality, that is, ratios of pairs of corresponding sides are in the same proportion.
In the language of transformation geometry, for similar triangles, one triangle is an enlargement of another, or any triangle can be transformed into another by applying the same scale factor to each part of the triangle.
In the case of a fractional scale factor the enlargement is, in fact, a reduction.

Trigonometry uses the fact that ratios of pairs of sides of triangles are functions of the angles.
The basis for mensuration of triangles is the right-angled triangle.
The term trigonometry means literally the measurement of trigons (triangles).

This mensuration approach defines the six trigonometric ratios in terms of ratios of lengths of sides of a right triangle.

The analytic approach defines the ratios in terms of the coordinates of a point on the circumference of a unit circle, xx + yy = 1.
These ratios define the trigonometric functions.


If A is an acute angle, the trigonometric ratios of A are conveniently defined as ratios of different lengths of the corresponding right triangle.

The hypotenuse, the side adjacent to the angle A, and the side opposite to A.


sine (sin) A = opp/hyp

tangent (tan) A = opp/adj

secant (sec) A = hyp/adj

cosine (cos) A = adj/hyp

cotangent (cot, ctn) A = adj/opp

cosecant (cosec, csc) A = hyp/opp

The coratios are the ratios of complementary angles (angles whose sum is 90 deg); for example, cos A = sin (90 deg - A). Every ratio has a reciprocal ratio.


Trigonometric functions, often known as the circular functions, are defined in terms of the trigonometric ratios. If point P (x, y) lies on the circumference of a unit circle xx + yy = 1, then the trigonometric functions of A, where A is the angle that the line OP makes with the positive direction of the x-axis, are defined as:

sin A = y

tan A = y/x

sec A = 1/x

cos A = x

cot A = x/y

csc A = 1/y

The signs of the coordinates determine the signs of the ratios.
If A is acute, all ratios are positive; these values of A are fully tabulated in standard trigonometric tables.

The ratios of angles greater than a right angle (90 deg) can be converted to ratios of acute angles by appropriate reduction formulas.
The reduction formulas are trigonometric identities that express the trigonometric ratios of an angle of any size in terms of the trigonometric ratios of an acute angle.

If y = sin x, then the inverse statement, that x is the angle whose sine is y, is written x = inverse sin y, or arc sin y.

Trigonometric functions have many applications in algebra.
They are used in rationalizing quadratic surds (square roots).

For example, the algebraic function y = the square root of (aa + xx) can be transformed into the rational trigonometric function y = a sec u using the identity 1 + tan u tan u = sec u sec u and substitution x = a tan u. Similarly, y = the square root of (aa - xx) and y = the square root of (nn - aa) can be rationalized by suitable use of identities and substitutions.
Substitutions have various uses in facilitating processes in the CALCULUS.

If a trigonometric equation is true for all values of its variables, it is an identity.
Some trigonometric identities state relations between various combinations of the six trigonometric functions determined by their definitions

Trigonometry is the study of how the sides and angles of a triangle are related to each other.
It’s all about triangles, and you can’t get much simpler than that.

This material assumes that you know:

How to measure angles.
That a right angle is is 90 degrees.
The sides of a triangle: the base, the height, and the hypotenuse

I hope this helps define and hope its helps you understand, if didn't already.

Answer 8

The mathematical study of triangles