{"id":6522,"date":"2016-04-22t09:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-22t16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=6522"},"modified":"2020-05-11t19:08:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12t02:08:31","slug":"trigonometry-on-the-new-sat-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/sat\/trigonometry-on-the-new-sat-everything-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"sat trigonometry – here’s what you should study"},"content":{"rendered":"
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trigonometry, or trig for short, is usually taught around 11th grade, so depending on how early you take the sat, you may not have even learned it in your math class yet. the sat trig is lumped into the ‘additional topics’ math category<\/a>. if you want to be able to handle sat trigonometry problems with ease, this guide will boil it down to what you need to remember. it’s short enough to be a refresher, yet thorough enough for the beginner.<\/p>\n to put it simply, trigonometry is a branch of math that deals with the relationship between angles and lengths of triangles. you can use it to solve for missing angle measures, side lengths, and much more once you go beyond the basic foundations.<\/p>\n don’t worry if it all sounds really difficult and scary. by the end of this guide, you’ll learn the skills and know-how to crush all the sat trigonometry you might run into.<\/p>\n the first thing you need to know basically puts the tri- in trig. it is all about using right triangles to find missing angle measures and side lengths. there are 3 basic functions that relate an angle measure (except the 90 degree angle) to two out of the three sides of a triangle: sine, cosine, and tangent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n when we take the sine, cosine, or tangent of an angle, we are given a number expressed as a ratio of two sides. we use the greek symbol theta to express an unknown angle measure as a variable. to easily remember which function relates to which two sides, we use the acronym sohcahtoa.<\/p>\n to get a detailed breakdown of this concept, take a look at these two videos: pythagorean theorem states that a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where a and b are the legs of the triangle and c is always the hypotenuse. the hypotenuse is the side opposite the 90 degree angle, or the longest side of the right triangle.<\/p>\n in addition to sine, cosine, and tangent, there are three more trig functions that you need to know. since they are just reciprocal functions of what we just learned, they are quite simple to remember:<\/p>\n 1\/cos = secant (or sec) secant corresponds with cosine, cosecant corresponds with sine, and cotangent corresponds with tangent. now, you just have to keep in mind that secant doesn’t go with sine and cosecant doesn’t go with cosine; it’s backwards. other than that, it’s pretty simple.<\/p>\n there are some handy equations that are vital to helping you solve questions or reach the answer in a different way. though you do not need to memorize all of them (since there are very many), you should know all of these by heart:<\/p>\n sine\/cosine = tangent<\/strong><\/p>\n sine^2 x + cos^2 x =1<\/p>\n tan^2 + 1 = sec^2 x<\/p>\n cot^2 + 1 = csc^2 x<\/p>\n radians express angle measure as a ratio of the arc length to the radius. you already know pi, which the number of diameters it takes to go all the way around a circle. since the radius is half of the diameter, 2pi radians are equal to 360 degrees.<\/p>\n radians are another way to think of angle measures. why do people use radians? it’s easier in some cases to use radians \u2013 the math is easier, it’s easier to think of 5pi radians than 900 degrees, etc.<\/p>\n 360 degrees = 2pi radians.<\/strong><\/p>\n how to convert from radians to degrees and vice versa:<\/p>\n degrees = radians times (180\/pi) in most problems, if you are looking at the unit circle or at a graph, then the angle measures will be in radians. if you are just looking at triangles, then the angle measures will usually be in degrees.<\/p>\n remember to check if your calculator is in radians or degrees. having your calculator on the wrong setting is a very common mistake, one that sat test makers are sure to exploit, so watch out!<\/p>\n i know what you’re probably thinking \u201cwait, there’s more than just triangles?\u201d yes, you do have to know your unit circle in addition to your right triangles, but i promise that it’s not as painful as it sounds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nwhat is trigonometry?<\/h2>\n
sat trigonometry: sohcahtoa and the pythagorean theorem<\/h2>\n
\nsohcahtoa: part 1<\/a>
\nsohcahtoa: part 2<\/a><\/p>\nthree more functions: secant, cosecant, and cotangent<\/h2>\n
\n1\/sin = cosecant (or csc)
\n1\/tan = cotangent (or cot)<\/strong><\/p>\ntrigonometric identities<\/h2>\n
radians<\/h2>\n
\nradians = degrees times (pi\/180)<\/strong><\/p>\nthe unit circle<\/h2>\n