What is trigonometry?

Answer 1

• Trigonometry is the study of triangles.
• The name comes from Greek trigonon "triangle" + metron "measure".
• The field emerged during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies.

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that solves problems relating to plane and spherical triangles. Its principles are based on the fixed proportions of sides for a particular angle in a right-angled triangle, the simplest of which are known as the sine, cosine, and tangent (so-called trigonometric ratios). Trigonometry is of practical importance in navigation, surveying, and simple harmonic motion in physics. The sine and cosine functions are the co-ordinates of a point on the unit circle as a function of the angle made by a ray from the center to the point and turn out to be of fundamental importance in complex analysis.