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Mathematics · Ch 3 — Trigonometry

Exact values of trigonometric functions of widely used angles

3.2.7

Exact values of trigonometric functions of widely used angles

For a handful of frequently used angles, the trigonometric ratios work out to clean, exact values rather than messy decimals — worth memorising rather than recomputing each time.

θ\theta0∘0^\circ30∘30^\circ45∘45^\circ60∘60^\circ90∘90^\circ
sin⁡θ\sin\theta0012\dfrac1212\dfrac{1}{\sqrt2}32\dfrac{\sqrt3}{2}11
cos⁡θ\cos\theta1132\dfrac{\sqrt3}{2}12\dfrac{1}{\sqrt2}12\dfrac1200
tan⁡θ\tan\theta0013\dfrac{1}{\sqrt3}113\sqrt3undefined

A few things worth noticing:

  • Every entry is an exact value (a whole number, a simple fraction, or a fraction with a square root) — never a rounded decimal.
  • sin⁡30∘=cos⁡60∘=12\sin30^\circ=\cos60^\circ=\dfrac12 and sin⁡60∘=cos⁡30∘=32\sin60^\circ=\cos30^\circ=\dfrac{\sqrt3}{2} — not a coincidence, but an early hint of the general complementary-angle relationship sin⁡θ=cos⁡(90∘−θ)\sin\theta=\cos(90^\circ-\theta).
  • The reciprocal ratios csc⁡θ,sec⁡θ,cot⁡θ\csc\theta,\sec\theta,\cot\theta at each of these angles can always be read off the same table, since they are just 1/sin⁡θ1/\sin\theta, 1/cos⁡θ1/\cos\theta, 1/tan⁡θ1/\tan\theta. …