What is a good way to remember the sine, cosine and tangent rules of a triangle?

If you are trying to find the sine of an angle, remember: SOH

The sine of an angle (S)= the length of the opposite side (O) / the length of the hypotenuse (H)

If you are trying to find the cosine of an angle, remember: 

The cosine of an angle (C) = the length of the adjacent side (A) / the length of the hypotenuse (H)

If you are trying to find the tangent of an angle, remember: TOA

The tangent of an angle (T) = the length of the opposite side (O) / the length of the adjacent side (A)

When you put all three rules together it makes: SOH CAH TOA 

Some simple mnemonics to remember this is: 

Saddle Our Horses, Canter Away Happily, To Other Adventures 

Some Old Hairy, Camels Are Hairier, Than Others Are

She Offered Her, Cat A Huge, Tray Of Apples!

HW
Answered by Hannah W. Maths tutor

4044 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A cuboid has sides such that the longest side is two units more than the shortest side, and the middle length side is one unit longer than the shortest side. The total surface area of the cuboid is 52 units². Calculate the length of the shortest side.


Find the value (8/125)^-2/3


How do you work out the tangent to a circle at a given point on the circle?


Work out the value of (√12 + √3) squared. Assume square roots are positive.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning