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Instant Trig
Trigonometry is math, so many people find it scary Its usually taught in a one-semester high-school course However, 95% of all the trig youll ever need to know can be covered in 15 minutes
68 44 68 + 68 180
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30
Right triangles
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We call the longest side the hypotenuse We pick one of the other angles--not the right angle We name the other two sides relative to that angle
If you square the length of the two shorter sides and add them, you get the square of the length of the hypotenuse adj2 + opp2 = hyp2 32 + 42 = 52, or 9 + 16 = 25 hyp = sqrt(adj2 + opp2) 5 = sqrt(9 + 16)
5-12-13
There are few triangles with integer sides that satisfy the Pythagorean formula 3-4-5 and its multiples (6-8-10, etc.) are the best known 5-12-13 and its multiples form another set 25 + 144 = 169
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Ratios
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Since a triangle has three sides, there are six ways to divide the lengths of the sides Each of these six ratios has a name (and an abbreviation) Three ratios are most used:
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ten use
adjacent The ratios depend on the shape of the triangle (the angles) but not on the size
hyp ote nus e
sine = sin = opp / hyp cosine = cos = adj / hyp tangent = tan = opp / adj
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The other three ratios are redundant with these and can be ignored
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With these functions, if you know an angle (in addition to the right angle) and the length of a side, you can compute all other angles and lengths of sides hyp ote nus e adjacent
If you know the angle marked in red (call it A) and you know the length of the adjacent side, then
tan A = opp / adj, so length of opposite side is given by opp = adj * tan A cos A = adj / hyp, so length of hypotenuse is given by hyp = adj / cos A
However: The angle a must be measured in radians Fortunately, Java has these additional methods: public static double toRadians(double degrees) public static double toDegrees(double radians)
If you understood this lecture, youre in great shape for doing all kinds of things with basic graphics Heres the part Ive always found the hardest:
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Sine = Opposite / Hypotenuse Cosine = Adjacent / Hypotenuse Tangent = Opposite / Adjacent Some Old Horse Caught Another Horse Taking Oats Away Saints On High Can Always Have Tea Or Alcohol
Drawing a Turtle
You want to move h units in the angle direction, to (x1, y1): hyp You are at: (x, y) adj So you make a right triangle... And you label it... And you compute: x1 = x + adj = x + hyp * (adj/hyp) = x + hyp * cos y1 = y - opp = y - hyp * (opp/hyp) = y - hyp * sin This is the first point in your Turtle triangle Find the other points similarly... opp
The End