Unit 1 · Most class time

Trigonometry

The longest unit by a wide margin. It builds from ratios in a right triangle to the unit circle, out to graphs, into an algebraic study of identities and equations, and finally back to triangles that are not right.

What a strong answer looks like

A strong Unit 1 answer names the structure before the method: here is what I was given, here is why this law or identity applies, here is the value, and here is why it is in the right quadrant.

Practice this unit Course overview

Topics in this unit

Radians, Arc Length, and Sector Area

Know

A radian measures an angle by the arc it cuts on a circle of radius 1, which is why arc length and sector area have such clean formulas in radians and awkward ones in degrees. The measure is a ratio, so it carries no units.

Apply

Use s = rθ for arc length and A = ½r²θ for sector area, with θ in radians every time. Choose degrees when a problem is stated in them and radians when the work is analytic.

Watch out

The most common error is applying a radian formula to an angle still in degrees. If an arc length comes out absurdly large, check the units before checking the arithmetic.

Study move

Convert a handful of familiar degree angles to radians until 30, 45, 60, and 90 stop needing a formula.

The Unit Circle as Structure

Know

The unit circle extends trigonometry beyond acute angles by turning coordinates into function values: the x-coordinate is cosine and the y-coordinate is sine. Symmetry then generates every value in the other three quadrants from the first.

Apply

Find the reference angle, take the value from the special triangles, then attach the sign the quadrant requires. This is faster than recall and it does not fail on unfamiliar angles.

Watch out

Sign errors outrank arithmetic errors on this material. Deciding the quadrant before the value prevents almost all of them.

Study move

Given any angle, say its quadrant, its reference angle, and the sign of all three primary functions before computing anything.

Graphing Sinusoidal Functions

Know

Amplitude, period, phase shift, and vertical shift each control one feature of a sine or cosine graph. Written as y = A sin(B(x - C)) + D, every parameter is readable at a glance.

Apply

Factor B out of the argument before reading the phase shift, since the shift is C and not the constant sitting inside the unfactored expression. Period is 2π/|B|.

Watch out

Reading the phase shift straight off an unfactored argument is the single most common graphing error in this unit.

Study move

Take a function, state the four parameters, sketch it, and then confirm the period and midline against a graphing calculator.

Identities and Analytic Trigonometry

Know

Identities are the algebra of trigonometry. The Pythagorean identity converts between sine and cosine, and the sum, difference, double-angle, and half-angle formulas rewrite a complicated angle in terms of a simpler one.

Apply

To verify an identity, work on one side alone until it matches the other. Starting from the more complicated side is usually the shorter path.

Watch out

Operating on both sides at once assumes the statement you are being asked to prove. It is the difference between a verification and a circular argument.

Study move

For each formula in your toolkit, write the one situation that calls for it. Verification then becomes a search over a short list.

Solving Trigonometric Equations

Know

A trigonometric equation usually has infinitely many solutions, so the interval matters as much as the algebra. The inverse functions return one value from a restricted range, and the rest come from symmetry and periodicity.

Apply

Solve for the function value first, then find every angle in the required interval that produces it. Use the unit circle to place the second and later solutions.

Watch out

Reporting only the calculator value is the classic mistake. A sine equation with a positive value has solutions in two quadrants, not one.

Study move

After every solution, count how many answers the interval should contain and confirm you produced that many.

Oblique Triangles and Applications

Know

The Law of Sines pairs a side with its opposite angle; the Law of Cosines relates all three sides to one angle. Which applies is decided entirely by which parts you were given.

Apply

Use the Law of Cosines for SAS and SSS, where no side and opposite angle pair is available. Use the Law of Sines for ASA, AAS, and SSA, and treat SSA as the ambiguous case that may yield two triangles, one, or none.

Watch out

Surveying and navigation problems hide the structure in prose. Draw the triangle and label the given parts before choosing anything.

Study move

Given only a list of known parts, name the applicable law without computing. Do that until the choice is instant.

Emphasized in this unit

Connections and techniques that receive extra attention in this honors sequence.

• Special right triangles as the source of exact unit circle values
• Reciprocal trigonometric functions alongside the three primary ratios
• Inverse trigonometric functions and their restricted ranges
• Angle of elevation and depression problems
• Sum, difference, double-angle, and half-angle formulas as a single toolkit
• Trigonometric modeling of periodic real-world quantities

Varies by course

Related topics some schools attach to this unit and others leave out. Covered on request rather than assumed.

Vectors beside oblique triangles. Some schools introduce vectors with navigation and force problems; this sequence develops them fully in Unit 2.

Mastery checklist

• Can convert between degrees and radians and choose the appropriate measure.
• Can produce exact unit circle values from reference angles and quadrant signs.
• Can read amplitude, period, phase shift, and midline from a sinusoidal equation.
• Can verify an identity in steps another person could follow.
• Can find every solution of a trigonometric equation in a stated interval.
• Can decide between the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines from the given parts.

Check yourself

• Why does the phase shift have to be read after factoring B out of the argument?
• What given information rules out starting with the Law of Sines?
• Why can a single trigonometric equation have two solutions in one revolution?

Modeling drill

A tide reaches a high of 12 feet and a low of 2 feet, with successive high tides 12 hours apart and a high tide at midnight. Write a sinusoidal model for depth as a function of hours after midnight, then say what each of your four parameters represents physically.

radianarc lengthunit circlereference angleamplitudeperiodphase shiftidentityinverse trigonometric functionLaw of SinesLaw of Cosinesoblique triangle

Unit 2: Polar, Complex Numbers, and Vectors