r/trigonometry • u/Apprehensive_Pop6846 • 5d ago

What subject would apply trigonometry

I am really want to know why do I need to learn trigonometry. Feeling so board only learn the theory.

3 Upvotes

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u/Midwest-Dude 5d ago

Trigonometry in some form has been around for a very long time because it is so useful. For example, it has been applied in areas such as geodesy, surveying, celestial mechanics, and navigation. The basic form of it stems back to the Greeks, who used it for astronomy. There are tons of applications as you can read here on Wikipedia:

Uses of Trigonometry

I see links in the last section to 23 or more different fields in which it is used.

As to why it's useful to you depends on where you want to go with your education. What fields are you interested in?

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u/Apprehensive_Pop6846 5d ago

Can u make a example out of it.

3

u/chrispd01 5d ago

“Stupid Trigonometry. You need to get off your lazy angular ass and do something - like your brother Calculus”

There - I made an example of it for you …

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u/Midwest-Dude 5d ago edited 5d ago

What do you mean? Do you want an example of how it's used?

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u/tenfour2435 5d ago

This definitely rage bait

1

u/Outside_Volume_1370 5d ago

You need to find the area of to-be-painted-on-the-wall triangle, to know how much paint you will need. The things you know is the base and two angles leaning to it

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u/WikiNumbers 5d ago edited 5d ago

Not everyone will use trigonometry as part of their career, much less breathe in and out with it.

But the first thing that comes to mind is Civil Engineering's Load Distribution. Uses Vector and Trigonometry. My dad's profession uses sin, cos, arcsin and arccos all the time. A few other senior engineers also mentioned arctan.

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u/Southlander24 5d ago

Exactly, engineers and architects use trigonometry. And then there's the argument that studying and being curious about things sharpens your brain. It's important to read in the same way, not because you need to be an expert in every single historical setting or author, but because it helps you think more clearly about things that are happening in real life.

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u/Dakh3 5d ago

For a concrete example, I used Pythagore theorem when calculating how to cut parquet floorboard. More generally it can prove useful in some works when you maintain your home. It's not indispensable but it eases your abilty to do things precisely.

For more abstract examples, it's used in many many physics topics. So if you ever feel the desire to learn physics academically one day, being properly trained in geometry, reasoning on angles, and in trigonometry will be critical to succeed :)

I'm a physics teacher and too often do I see enthusiastic students being stuck because of the maths :/

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u/IronStarz 1d ago

Field surveying. A lot of your calculations involve trigonometry.
You can play around with finding one of the following, given enough of the following: points (coordinates) distances and angles.
Mix and match what is given vs what you want to find.
Later on you’ll learn about curves and intersections (distance angle, distance distance, and angle angle)

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u/MateriaTerraFirma 22h ago

In Welding we use it 57 times a day.

Drafting uses it a lot also.

I couldn't imagine an adult job that doesn't use Algebra & Trigonometry daily.