Trigonometry Tricks 2

90° - arctan(x/y) = arctan(y/x)

Example:

arctan(4/3) = 53.13010235...°

arctan(3/4) = 36.86989765...°

90° - 53.13010235...° = 36.86989765...°

90° - 36.86989765...° = 53.13010235...°

The "arctan" function tells you how many degrees an angle will be if its tangent is x/y. Remember that tangents, sines, cosines, & such are all ratios related to the sides & angles of a triangle. That's what trigonometry is all about!

Dr. Foolish: The irony of trigonometric ratios is that they're often irrational!

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© Derek Cumberbatch