Whats the difference between the three main trigonometric functions?

Sin(x), Cos(x) and Tan(x) are very useful functions and can be used to solve algerbraic problems where the aim is to find the size of an angle or a size.

Sin(x) = Opposite/Hypotenuse

Cos(x) = Adjacent/Hypotenuse

Tan(x) = Opposite/Adjacent

these are the equations you must rearrange to solve the problems. for example if you're looking to find the length of hypotenuse side and have the angle, x and the length of the adjacent of side you rearrange the equation to be:

hypotenuse =adjacent/cos(x)

This can be confusing at first but can become second nature very quickly if you work through lots of problems.

A great way of remembering the equations is:
SOHCAHTOA

MG
Answered by Michael G. Maths tutor

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