REFERENCES

Academic Program For Nuclear Power Plant Personnel,Volume 1, Columbia, MD: General Physics Corporation, Library of Congress Card #A 326517, 1982.

Drooyan, I. and Wooton, W., Elementary Algebra and College Students,6th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

Ellis, R. and Gulick, D., Collejze Aljzebra and Trijzonometry,2nd Edition, Harcourt Brace Jouanovich, Publishers, 1984.

Rice, B.J. and Strange, J.D., Plane Trigonometry,2nd Edition, Prinole, Weber & Schmidt, Inc., 1978.

MA-04 Page ivRev. 0

Trigonometry OBJECTIVES

TERMINAL OBJECTIVE

1.0 Given a calculator and a list of formulas, APPLY the laws of trigonometry to solve for unknown values.

ENABLING OBJECTIVES

1.1 Given a problem, APPLY the Pythagorean theorem to solve for the unknown values of a right triangle.

1.2 Given the following trigonometric terms, IDENTIFY the related function:

a. Sine b. Cosine c. Tangent d. Cotangent e. Secant f. Cosecant

1.3 Given a problem, APPLY the trigonometric functions to solve for the unknown.

1.4 STATE the definition of a radian.

PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM

This chapter covers right triangles and solving for unknowns using the Pythagorean theorem.

EO 1.1Given a problem, APPLY the Pythagorean theorem to solve for the unknown values of a right triangle.

Trigonometry is the branch of mathematics that is the study of angles and the relationship between angles and the lines that form them. Trigonometry is used in Classical Physics and Electrical Science to analyze many physical phenomena. Engineers and operators use this branch of mathematics to solve problems encountered in the classroom and on the job. The most important application of trigonometry is the solution of problems involving triangles, particularly right triangles.

Trigonometry is one of the most useful branches of mathematics. It is used to indirectly measure distances which are difficult to measure directly. For example, the height of a flagpole or the distance across a river can be measured using trigonometry.

As shown in Figure 1 below, a triangle is a plane figure formed using straight line segments (AB, BC, CA) to connect three points (A, B, C) that are not in a straight line. The sum of the measures of the three interior angles (a', b', c') is 180, and the sum of the lengths of any two sides is always greater than or equal to the third.