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Trigonometry means “triangle measure”. It is a branch of mathematics which was originally developed to calculate unknown sides and angles in triangles. Trigonometry is very useful in applications such as surveying, navigation and electronics. Example 1Suppose you were a forester and you wanted to know the height of a tree without having to climb the tree with a measuring tape. You can find the height by taking two measurements from the ground (Figure 3).
Figure 3
Figure 4
Once the distance from the base of the tree is known, as well as the angular measurement to the top of the tree, you can make a scale drawing of a similar triangle and measure the length of the corresponding side (Figure 4). Using the proportion:
the tree is 35.8 m tall. By using trigonometry, you can solve problems like this in an even simpler fashion. |
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New Fundamental Math Materials
Math Flash Cards
A good knowledge of your times tables is critical for success at all levels of math. You will find some excellent resources to help you practice your times tables.
Factoring polynomials
A student writes,
I notice that I my factoring skills are weak. I find that there are several rules. Could you provide a summary the rules? If I see them all together in a list it will help for me to remember them.
Yes. I placed a summary at http://wikieducator.org/Factoring_Polynomials.
Gaining access
Our Math online is located at the textbook publisher’s website at http://mathxl.com. To access this site you will need to purchase an access code. The access code is available for purchase at the publisher’s website, above. There is NO need to purchase a hard copy of the text. All the resources you need to complete the course, including digital pages of the text, are in the MathXL online classroom. As of mid 2014, a six month pass is about $60, one year $85 and two years $100. Prices are in US dollars. To date the pass has been good for all levels of math that I offer online from 052 through 073. So if you are starting at the 052 or 053 levels and plan to take one term to complete each course through to 073, the two year pass may be your most economic choice. If you are going to complete just two courses with me, choose the one year. One course in one term only? Then choose the six month package.
If you haven’t already reviewed how the online system works, please visit the Online Math System page. Then ensure your computer meets the minimum system requirements and that your web browser is properly configured by clicking on the appropriate links. Note: No need for the ‘Test Gen’ option. Registered student can then complete the following steps to gain access to my online classroom.
Once you’ve ascertained your computer is properly set up for the online classroom, purchase the access code online at the textbook publisher’s website at http://mathxl.com. All you need is a credit card or a PayPal account. You will find a tutorial on completing this process by clicking on this tours link.
Once you have successfully logged into MathXL, contact me at martin@lwebs.ca for the appropriate Course ID. You will need that to get you into my online classroom. While you are awaiting the Course ID, check out the tutorial on How to Enter Answers which will show you how to enter math notation on the computer.