« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Trig is confusing me  (Read 5067 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline miotatsu

  • LV6 Super Member (Next: 500)
  • ******
  • Posts: 332
  • Rating: +11/-1
    • View Profile
Trig is confusing me
« on: April 10, 2010, 02:41:42 am »
okay so
a graphing calculator can take an angle and return an answer based on a trig function amirite?
like you can do sin(45 on a ti-84+ homescreen and it returns the sin of a 45 degree angle correct?
If that is correct i am really confused, because i just learned about sin/cos/tan in school and apparently they are just side/angle relationships of a triangle
for instance sin is supposed to be
Code: [Select]
opposite side/hypotenusebut if you only are inputting an angle then how on earth does it know what the opposite side AND the hypotenuse are?!?!

i really want to figure this out because until i do i will never be able to understand trig. ;.;

« Last Edit: April 10, 2010, 02:43:54 am by miotatsu »
Logged

Offline cooliojazz

  • Support Staff
  • LV7 Elite (Next: 700)
  • *******
  • Posts: 619
  • Rating: +66/-9
  • I omnoms on your soul
    • View Profile
    • Unreal Phantasies
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2010, 02:44:35 am »
It doesn't.  It knows the ratio between them.
Logged
Spoiler For Random signess:
You can not beat my skills.
Trust me.
So don't even try.
And remember never to trust someone who says, "Trust me."

TI File Editor Progress: Remade in java like a boss. 50% we'll call it? IDK =P
Java Libraries: JIRC - 90% JTIF - 5%
TI Projects: Unreal Notator - -5000%
Nomcraft, a Bukkit mod
Some of the music I write can be found here | The Rest Should Be Here (Bandcamp)

Offline miotatsu

  • LV6 Super Member (Next: 500)
  • ******
  • Posts: 332
  • Rating: +11/-1
    • View Profile
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2010, 02:45:59 am »
OH, that makes a lot more sense, but i don't fully get it yet
nvm, i fully understand it now :O
« Last Edit: April 10, 2010, 03:08:45 am by miotatsu »
Logged

Offline mapar007

  • LV7 Elite (Next: 700)
  • *******
  • Posts: 550
  • Rating: +28/-5
  • The Great Mata Mata
    • View Profile
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2010, 03:09:58 am »
Trigonometry is far more than just right-triangle-calculations. ;)

(strange... We learned this really early on at school. You're older than me, so...)
Logged

Offline meishe91

  • Super Ninja
  • LV11 Super Veteran (Next: 3000)
  • ***********
  • Posts: 2946
  • Rating: +115/-11
    • View Profile
    • DeviantArt
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2010, 03:14:48 am »
I can try to explain some later, if I manage to think of how to word it all haha, but Builderboy wrote a tutorial about trig here so that might help in the mean time. I really need some sleep so I'll try coming up with something tomorrow for ya :)
Logged
Spoiler For Spoiler:



For the 51st time, that is not my card! (Magic Joke)

Offline Quigibo

  • The Executioner
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV11 Super Veteran (Next: 3000)
  • *
  • Posts: 2031
  • Rating: +1075/-24
  • I wish real life had a "Save" and "Load" button...
    • View Profile
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2010, 03:18:57 am »
You use the unit triangle.  That means the hypotenuse has length 1.  In such a triangle, the side opposite to the angle is the sin of the angle and the side adjacent is the cosine.  That's why the identity sin^2+cos^2=1 because its just the Pythagorean theorem of that triangle.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2010, 03:20:18 am by Quigibo »
Logged
___Axe_Parser___
Today the calculator, tomorrow the world!

Offline meishe91

  • Super Ninja
  • LV11 Super Veteran (Next: 3000)
  • ***********
  • Posts: 2946
  • Rating: +115/-11
    • View Profile
    • DeviantArt
Re: Trig is confusing me
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2010, 03:47:46 am »
Ya, the Unit Circle is a huge part of Trig.
Logged
Spoiler For Spoiler:



For the 51st time, that is not my card! (Magic Joke)
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »