Trigonometry was discovered by a renowned Greek mathematician Hipparchus. It is a mathematical study of triangular shapes, angles, and lengths. It guides in studying about the angles and their applications that are used in calculations. Trigonometry talks about the six major functions of angle that are most commonly used. These functions are - sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant. Trigonometry applies to right-angle triangles only and for other kinds of triangles, a perpendicular line must be drawn to convert it into a right triangle.
Prominent Uses of Trigonometry
The uses of trigonometry are not merely confined to books, they go beyond that. Trigonometry is also widely used in day-to-day life. The following are the major uses of trigonometry -
Engineering - Trigonometry plays a crucial role in engineering because engineers design structures and formulate all the planning after putting trigonometric calculations in use. Trigonometry is mainly used in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.
Navigation and Astronomy - Trigonometry helps greatly in providing a fair view of direction and distance which is also called navigation. Sine-Cosine laws help in determining these distances. Astronomy, on the other hand is associated with the study of things associated with universe and trigonometry helps in understanding the distances between satellite, orbits, stars, etc.
Height Measurement - Trigonometry helps in measuring the height of buildings and mountains that helps architects to analyse the angle of aviation. It helps them in constructing a well-structured building that gives a perfect analysis of viewpoint.
Physics - The use of trigonometry is not confined to just mathematics, it goes well with physics also. In Physics, trigonometry helps in analyzing oscillatory motions like waves of sound and light, and harmonic motion.
Surveying and Cartography - Trigonometry majorly helps in making accurate maps and provides a fair survey of land. It also helps to get major distances, angles, and locations of important points on Earth.
Optics - Trigonometry is also used in opticals to analyse reflection and refraction. The lesnes and mirrors are made only after this measurement.
Medical Imaging - Trigonometry is also used in MRI. MRI uses magnetic fields to get clear images of multiple organs and tissues of the body. The precise location of tissues and organs within a magnetic field gradient can be determined with the aid of trigonometry.
Gradient Coils - The gradients and spatial variations of the magnetic fields created by gradient coils are computed using trigonometric functions. Detailed cross-sectional images are produced with the help of these gradients.
Finance - Trigonometry is utilized in finance and economics for analyzing periodic trends, interest rates, and modeling cyclical economic phenomena.
Trigonometry: Fun Facts
The uses of trigonometry are widespread across many domains. Apart from its applications, there are various fun facts associated with trigonometry like -
- Pythagorean Theorem - The Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²) is associated with trigonometry and forms the basis of relationships with right triangles.
- Application in Animation - Trigonometry is used in animation also in developing real animations and simulations.
- Modern Computational Uses - Trigonometric functions have been computed using algorithms since the invention of computers and are used in fields such as computer graphics, robotics, and geographic information systems.