WORKSHEETS

IN
TRIGONOMETRY
 Angles
By Rebecca Adcock
 
Two fundamental concepts in trigonometry are angle and angle measure. An angle is formed by
rotating a ray around its endpoint. The endpoint of the ray becomes the vertex of the angle. The starting
position of the ray is called the initial side of the angle. The ending position is called the terminal side. An
angle in standard position has its initial side on the positive x-axis so the vertex is at the origin.
 
Angles in Standard and Non-standard Position
 

 
 
 

Positive and Negative Angles

 
The measure of an angle describes the magnitude and direction of the rotation of the ray from its
initial position to its terminal position. If the rotation is counterclockwise, the angle has a positive measure. If
the rotation is clockwise, the angle has a negative measure. An angle in standard position is said to lie in the
quadrant where the terminal side resides.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Coterminal Angles
 
One way to measure an angle is in degrees. An angle created by one complete counterclockwise
revolution measures 360°.  One generated by one complete clockwise rotation is -360°.  An angle may have a
degree measure that is multiple of 360° or a fractional part of it.
 
Two or more angles in standard position can share the same terminal side and have different degree
measures. These angles are called coterminal.
  
If θ is the degree measure of an angle, then all
angles coterminal with this angle have a degree
measure of  θ+360k where k is an integer. Using
this formula for the example above where θ is
50.91°, -309.09° = 50.91°+(-1)360°. (Value of k is
-1 and the angle was created on the first
revolution of a ray in a negative direction.)
 
 Again using the formula  “θ+360k where k is an
integer”, we can verify that an angle with measure
-669.09° is coterminal to an angle with measure 50.91°.
Where θ is 50.91°,
-669.09° = 50.91°+(-2)360°. (Value of k is -2 and the angle
on the second revolution of a ray in a negative direction.)
 
The point you need to remember from all of this is that
there are an infinite number of angles that are coterminal
to any given angle. We can go around in circles forever in
either a negative or positive direction creating coterminal
angles. The measures of all the angles will differ by
multiples of 360 ° times some integer.
Reference Angles
 
A useful tool for finding values of trigonometric functions of certain angles (you’ll learn how to do that later) is
the reference angle. The reference angle is the acute angle formed by the terminal side of a given angle and
the x-axis. A reference angle may be the same as the given angle.
 

 
 

 
Types Of Angles
Complementary Angles and Supplementary Angles

What are Complementary Angles? 

Two angles are called complementary angles if the sum of their degree measurements equals 90 degrees
(right angle). One of the complementary angles is said to be the complement of the other.

The two angles do not need to be together or adjacent. They just need to add up to 90 degrees. If the two
complementary angles are adjacent then they will form a right angle.

Example:
x and y are complementary angles. Given x = 35˚, find the value y.

Solution:
   x + y = 90˚
35˚ + y = 90˚
   y = 90˚ – 35˚ = 55˚

What are Supplementary Angles? 

Two angles are called supplementary angles if the sum of their degree measurements equals 180 degrees (straight
line) . One of the supplementary angles is said to be the supplement of the other.

The two angles do not need to be together or adjacent. They just need to add up to 180 degrees. If the two
supplementary angles are adjacent then they will form a straight line.

Example:
x and y are supplementary angles. Given x = 72˚, find the value y.

Solution:
   x + y = 180˚
72 ˚ + y = 180˚
   y = 180˚ –72˚ = 108˚
 Radians vs Degrees
 
Since it is possible to measure an angle in either degrees or radians, it may be necessary to convert from one
unit of measure to the other.
 
To convert from degrees to radians:

Multiply the number of degrees by  .

Example: Express 135° in radians.

Notice that the degrees in the numerator and in the denominator neutralize each other and disappear. This is an
easy way to remember which formula to use. Just remember that you have to make the degrees disappear so you
can use radians.  Also note that π appears in the answer. When π is present, we assume the unit of measure is

radians so we don’t have to state ‘  radians’.

 
To convert from radians to degrees:

Multiply the number of radians by  .

Example: Express   as degrees.

 
Notice that π in the numerator and denominator are 1 and disappear. Also note that the degrees are introduced in
the numerator and remain in the answer as the unit of measure.
 Triangles
By Rebecca Adcock
 

Right Triangles
A right triangle is any triangle that has one angle equal to 90 degrees. In the triangle below, the right angle is
BCA. The longest side of a right triangle is called the hypotenuse and it is the side opposite the right angle. AB
(also called c) is the hypotenuse. BC (also called a) and AC(also called b) are legs.
 

Pythagorean Theorem
You’ve already encountered the
Pythagorean Theorem somewhere in your
study of mathematics. Recall that the
Pythagorean Theorem states 
“In a right triangle, the square of the
length of the hypotenuse is equal to the
sum of the squares of the lengths of the
legs.”
If you don’t remember those words
exactly, you probably remember this:
                                    
 
 
Special Right Triangles.  30-60-90 Triangle
 
 
We will create a 30-60-90 triangle by bisecting one angle of an equilateral triangle. The two triangles created
are congruent, but we will concentrate on just one of them. In triangle ABC (at left), each side is equal.
AB=BC=AC. BD bisects angle ABC so BD also bisects side AC. So  AD=DC and AD =1/2(AB).
 

By Pythagorean Theorem,

 Let the length of side AB equal 1. So BC=1, AC=1 and AD=1/2.

 
 
 

 
Special Right Triangles.  45-45-90 Triangle
 

Sides of a Right Triangle

Hypotenuse, Adjacent and Opposite Sides. 

In the following right triangle PQR, 

 the side PQ, which is opposite to the right angle PRQ is called the hypotenuse. (The
hypotenuse is the longest side of the right triangle.)
 the side RQ is called the adjacent side of angle θ  .
 the side PR is called the opposite side of angle θ  .

Note: The adjacent and the opposite sides depend on the angle θ . For complementary angle of θ ,
the labels of the 2 sides are reversed. 
Example:

Identify the hypotenuse, adjacent side and opposite side in the following triangle: 
a) for angle x
b) for angle y

Solution:

a) For angle x: AB is the hypotenuse, AC is the adjacent side , and  BC is the opposite side. 
b) b) For angle y: AB is the hypotenuse, BC is the adjacent side , and  AC is the opposite side.

6 TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS
The trigonometric ratios.

The 3 trigonometric ratios are called sine (sin), cosine (cos) and tangent (tan).  These ratios apply to right-angled
triangles.