Revision notes for Edexcel AS Level Maths Trigonometric Ratios. Open each subtopic for explanations, worked examples, and summaries of 9.1 The Cosine Rule, 9.2 The Sine Rule, 9.3 Areas of Triangles, 9.4 Solving Triangle Problems, 9.5 Graphs of Sine, Cosine and Tangent, and 9.6 Transforming Trigonometric Graphs. Written against the Edexcel AS Level Maths (8MA0) specification, so the content matches what's examinable rather than general Maths background.
Trigonometric Ratios
What you'll learn
How sine, cosine and tangent connect angles to side lengths.
When to use the sine rule, cosine rule and area formula.
How to handle exact values and the “two possible angles” situation.
How to sketch simple sine and cosine graphs from 0° to 360°.
1. Starting point: right-angled triangle ratios
A ratio compares two quantities by division. In trigonometry, the main ratios compare side lengths in a right-angled triangle.
For an angle θ\thetaθ:
The hypotenuse is the longest side, opposite the right angle.
The opposite side is opposite θ\thetaθ.
The adjacent side touches θ\thetaθ, but is not the hypotenuse.
For these notes, angles are in degrees. Make sure your calculator is in degree mode before using sin\sinsin, cos\coscos, tan\tantan or their inverse functions.
Example
Using a basic trigonometric ratio
A right-angled triangle has hypotenuse 13 cm and an angle of 28°. Find the side opposite the 28° angle.
Choose the ratio involving opposite and hypotenuse: sinθ\sin \thetasinθ.
The angle in 12absinC\frac{1}{2}ab\sin C21absinC must be between the two sides you are multiplying. If the angle is not included, do not use this formula directly.
4. The cosine rule
Use the cosine rule when you know:
two sides and the included angle, and want the third side; or
In triangle XYZXYZXYZ, XY=5 cmXY = 5\text{ cm}XY=5 cm, YZ=8 cmYZ = 8\text{ cm}YZ=8 cm and XZ=7 cmXZ = 7\text{ cm}XZ=7 cm. Find cosY\cos YcosY, then find the exact area.
Angle YYY is between sides XYXYXY and YZYZYZ. The side opposite angle YYY is XZXZXZ.
The second version is often neater when finding an angle.
Example
Finding two possible angles
In triangle ABCABCABC, AB=12 cmAB = 12\text{ cm}AB=12 cm, BC=8 cmBC = 8\text{ cm}BC=8 cm and angle BAC=35∘BAC = 35^\circBAC=35∘. Find the two possible values of angle ABCABCABC to one decimal place.
Match opposite pairs: BCBCBC is opposite angle AAA, and ABABAB is opposite angle CCC.
B≈85.6∘orB≈24.4∘B \approx 85.6^\circ \quad \text{or} \quad B \approx 24.4^\circB≈85.6∘orB≈24.4∘
Common Mistake
Forgetting the second sine angle
If sinθ=k\sin \theta = ksinθ=k, your calculator gives one angle. In a triangle, the other possible angle is 180∘−θ180^\circ - \theta180∘−θ, as long as the angle sum still works.