In a right triangle, there are actually six possible trigonometric ratios, or functions.

A Greek letter (such as theta or phi ) will now be used to represent the angle.




Notice that the three new ratios at the right are reciprocals of the ratios on the left.
Applying a little algebra shows the connection between these functions.

Reciprocal Functions


Also
Important






Examples:
1. Given the triangle at the right, express the exact
value of the six trig functions in relation to theta.

Solution: Find the missing side of the right triangle using the Pythagorean
Theorem. Then, using the diagram, express each function as a ratio of the lengths of
the sides. Do not "estimate" the answers.


Be careful not to jump to the
conclusion that this is a 3-4-5 right
triangle. The 4 in on the
hypotenuse and must be the largest
side.








The following examples pertain to a right triangle in
Quadrant I:
2. Given

, find .
Solution: This is an easy problem, since cosine and secant are reciprocal
functions.


3. Find and , given
and .
Solution: Draw a diagram to get a better understanding of the given information.

Since sine is opposite over hypotenuse, position the 2 and the 3
accordingly in relation to the angle theta. Now, since cosine is
adjacent over hypotenuse, position these values (the 3 should
already be properly placed). Be sure that the largest value is on the
hypotenuse and that the Pythagorean Theorem is true for these
values. (If you are not given the third side, use the Pythagorean
Theorem to find it.)
Now, using your diagram, read off the values for the secant and the cotangent.
Secant:




Law of Sines

In any triangle, the ratio of a side length to the sine of its opposite angle
is the same for all three sides. As a formula:

What is it used for?
A triangle has three sides and three angles. The Law of Sines is one of the tools that allows us to
solve the triangle. That is, given some of these six measures we can find the rest. Depending on
what you are given to start, you may need to use this tool in combination with others to
completely solve the triangle.
When do I use it?
You can use the Law of Sines if you already know
1. One side and its opposite angle, and
2. One or more other sides or angles
The first allows us to calculate the "Law of Sines" ratio s. Then we can use this ratio to find other
sides and angles using the other givens.
Example
In the figure on the right, we are given side b and angle B, which opposite each other, so we can
use them to calculate the 'Law of Sines' ratio (s) for this particular triangle:
We are also given the
length of side c. Because we know the Law of Sines ratio, we can find the opposite angle C:
We now know both angles B and C, so using
the fact that the interior angles of a triangle add up to 180, we can find the third angle A:
Using the same principle as above we know that so
we solve this for a, the last unknown side: