MEP Jamaica: STRAND I UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Trigonometric Ratios: Teaching Notes

UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Teaching Notes

Trigonometric Ratios
Introduction
Very little is known of the life of Pythagoras, but he was born on the island of Samos and is credited
with the founding of a community at Crotona in Southern Italy by about 530 BC. The community had
religious and political purposes, but also dealt with mathematics, especially the properties of whole
numbers or positive integers.

Mystical attributes, such as that odd numbers were male and

even numbers female, were ascribed to numbers. In addition
descriptions of arithmetical properties of integers were found.
The 4th triangle number or
'Holy tetractys' had mystical
significance for the
Pythagoreans

The diagram on the right shows that

1 = 12
1 + 3 = 22
1 + 3 + 5 = 32 The sum of consecutive odd
numbers, starting at 1, is a
square number

The Pythagoreans also formulated the idea of proportions in a2

relation to harmonics on stringed instruments. The theorem with a
which Pythagoras' name is associated was probably only proved c
b2 b
later. Specific instances of it were certainly known to the c2
Babylonians. The 'Harpedonaptai', Egyptian rope stretchers, are
said to have used the 3, 4, 5 triangle to obtain right angles from
equally spaced knots on cords. The ancient Chinese also knew that Pythagoras' Theorem:
the 3, 4, 5 triangle was right angled. a2 + b2 = c2

The Greeks used 'chord' tables rather than tables of trigonometric functions, and the development of
trigonometric tables took place around 500 AD, through the work of Hindu mathematicians. In fact,
tables of sines for angles up to 90° were given for 24 equal intervals of 3 43 ° each. The value of 10
was used for π at that time. Further work a century later, particularly by the Indian mathematician
Brahmagupta (in 628), led to the sine rule as we know it today.
A useful course book for the historical introduction of these topics is 'Ascent of Man' by
Jacob Bronowski, published in 1974.

Teaching Points
This is an important topic with obvious applications in, for example, surveying, geography,
architecture, navigation, etc. Motivation should be high for this unit (and the subsequent units of this
strand).

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 MEP Jamaica: STRAND I UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Trigonometric Ratios: Teaching Notes

UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Teaching Notes

Trigonometric Ratios
The key building blocks are
• Pythagoras' Theorem
• trigonometric relationships
• sine and cosine rules.

Whilst students will not be expected to reproduce proofs, these are important for understanding the
concepts.
Here is one particularly neat way of proving Pythagoras' Theorem.
Form the square of side length, b + c, as shown.
b c

c b

Complete the square ABCD as shown (why is it a square?).

Let the length of a side of the square be a.
Thus comparing areas of the original square,
bc
( b + c )2 = a2 + 4 × ⎛ ⎞
⎝ 2⎠

⇒ b 2 + 2 bc + c 2 = a 2 + 2 bc

⇒ b 2 + c 2 = a 2 , as required.
Note that calculators should be in degree mode for trigonometric calculations.

Language/Notation
• opposite, adjacent and hypotenuse
• sine, cosine and tangent
• altitude
• angle of elevation

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 MEP Jamaica: STRAND I UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Trigonometric Ratios: Teaching Notes

UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Teaching Notes

Trigonometric Ratios
Key points
• In a right angled triangle the side opposite the right angle is the
hypotenuse (hyp) - side c in the diagram.
Note that a right angle is indicated by a small 'box' c
at an angle which is 90° . a

• Pythagoras' Theorem states that:

b
In any right angled triangle, the area of the square on
the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is
equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the
other two sides (the two sides that meet at the right
angle).

Pythagoras' Theorem can be written as an equation relating the

lengths of the sides a, b and c,
a2 + b2 = c2
where c represents the length of the hypotenuse, and a and b
represent the lengths of the other two sides.

• You can use Pythagoras' Theorem to find an unknown side, and the
answer is unique.

• In a right angled triangle, the side opposite the marked angle is the
opposite (opp), a in the diagram; the hypotenuse (hyp), c in the c
a
diagram, is the longest side and the other side is the
adjacent side (adj), b in the diagram.
θ
• In a right angled triangle, given an angle θ and the length of one b
side, you can use
opp a
sin θ = =
hyp c

adj b
cos θ = =
hyp c
or
opp a
tan θ = =
adj b

to find the lengths of the other two sides and to find angles, using the SHIFT button on a calculator
(opp: opposite; hyp: hypotenuse; adj: adjacent).

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 MEP Jamaica: STRAND I UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Trigonometric Ratios: Teaching Notes

UNIT 34 Pythagoras' Theorem and Teaching Notes

Trigonometric Ratios

Misconceptions
• Students are often prone to writing down incorrect or incomplete statements, e.g. ' 70° tan' rather
than ' tan 70° '.

• The algebraic manipulation required, especially when solving for the length of the hypotenuse in a
20
right angled triangle, can cause problems, e.g. tan 50 = ⇒ x = 20 tan 50 is a common mistake.
x
• Identifying which sides are actually the adjacent, opposite and hypotenuse in strangely orientated
triangles causes problems.

• Calculators not in degree mode for trigonometric calculations.

• When finding c, calculating a 2 + b 2 but forgetting to take the square root.

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