Skip to main content
Mathematics LibreTexts

Chapter 5: Applications of Trigonometry

  • Page ID
    113916
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    • 5.1: Applications of Sinusoids
      In the same way exponential functions can be used to model a wide variety of phenomena in nature, the cosine and sine functions can be used to model their fair share of natural behaviors
    • 5.2: The Law of Sines
      Trigonometry literally means 'measuring triangles', we are more than prepared to do just that. The main goal of this section and the next is to develop theorems which allow us to 'solve' triangles -- that is, find the length of each side of a triangle and the measure of each of its angles.
    • 5.3: The Law of Cosines
      The Law of Sines to enable us to solve triangles in the 'Angle-Angle-Side' (AAS), the 'Angle-Side-Angle' (ASA) and the ambiguous 'Angle-Side-Side' (ASS) cases. In this section, we develop the Law of Cosines which handles solving triangles in the 'Side-Angle-Side' (SAS) and 'Side-Side-Side' (SSS) cases.


    This page titled Chapter 5: Applications of Trigonometry is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Carl Stitz & Jeff Zeager.

    • Was this article helpful?