The Law of Cosines is a fundamental trigonometric principle that connects the lengths of a triangle's sides with the cosine of one of its angles. Various equations express this relationship, such as a^2 = b^2 + c^2 - 2bc *
For an angle Theta in standard position, let P=(x,y) be the point on the terminal side of Theta that is also on the circle x^2+y^2=1, the unit circle.
Formulas for triangles
Quadrant I
All are positive
Quadrant II
sin and cosecant are positive
cosine, tangent, secant and cotangent are negative
Quadrant III
sine, cosine, cosecant and secant are negative
tangent and cotangent are positive
Quadrant IV
sine, tangent, cosecant and cotangent are negative
cosine and secant are positive
Solving for trigonometric equations example:
solve the equation: sin(2theta)=1/2, 0
Solutions for cos reflect across the x-axis
solutions for sin reflect across y-axis
solutions for tan reflect across the diagonal y=x
Law of Cosines
In trig, the Law of Cosines relates the lengths of the sides of a triangle to the cosine of one of its angles using the equations above.
The Law of Sines is very useful for solving triangles:
a
/sin A=b/sin B=c/sin C
a, b and c are sides. A, B and C are angles. The sides and angles correspond meaning side a faces angle A, side b faces angle B and side c faces angle C.