A plain-English guide to the basics of trigTrigonometry deals with the relationship between the sides and angles of triangles... mostly right triangles. In practical use, trigonometry is a friend to astronomers who use triangulation to measure the distance between stars. Trig also has applications in fields as broad as financial analysis, music theory, biology, medical imaging, cryptology, game development, and seismology.
From sines and cosines to logarithms, conic sections, and polynomials, this friendly guide takes the torture out of trigonometry, explaining basic concepts in plain English and offering lots of easy-to-grasp example problems. It also explains the "why" of trigonometry, using real-world examples that illustrate the value of trigonometry in a variety of careers.
- Tracks to a typical Trigonometry course at the high school or college level
- Packed with example trig problems
- From the author of Trigonometry Workbook For Dummies
Trigonometry For Dummies is for any student who needs an introduction to, or better understanding of, high-school to college-level trigonometry.
Mary Jane Sterling is the author of Algebra I For Dummies and many other For Dummies titles. She has been teaching mathematics at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, for more than 30 years and has loved working with future business executives, physical therapists, teachers, and many others.
Introduction 1
Part I: Getting Started with Trigonometry 5
Chapter 1: Trouncing Trig Technicalities 7
Chapter 2: Coordinating Your Effor ts with Car tesian Coordinates 29
Chapter 3: Functioning Well 47
Chapter 4: Getting Your Degree 57
Chapter 5: Dishing Out the Pi: Radians 67
Chapter 6: Getting It Right with Triangles 81
Part II: Trigonometric Functions 91
Chapter 7: Doing Right by Trig Functions 93
Chapter 8: Trading Triangles for Circles: Circular Functions 109
Chapter 9: Defining Trig Functions Globally 121
Chapter 10: Applying Yourself to Trig Functions 135
Part III: Identities 155
Chapter 11: Identifying Basic Identities 157
Chapter 12: Operating on Identities 171
Chapter 13: Proving Identities: The Basics 189
Chapter 14: Sleuthing Out Identity Solutions 207
Part IV: Equations and Applications 223
Chapter 15: Investigating Inverse Trig Functions 225
Chapter 16: Making Inverse Trig Work for You 233
Chapter 17: Solving Trig Equations 243
Chapter 18: Obeying the Laws 265
Part V: The Graphs of Trig Functions 289
Chapter 19: Graphing Sine and Cosine 291
Chapter 20: Graphing Tangent and Cotangent 307
Chapter 21: Graphing Other Trig Functions 317
Chapter 22: Topping Off Trig Graphs 329
Part VI: The Part of Tens 343
Chapter 23: Ten Basic Identities . . . Plus Some Bonuses 345
Chapter 24: Ten Not-So-Basic Identities 349
Appendix: Trig Functions Table 353
Index 357
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