Students typically have to take a trigonometry class during high school and the first few semesters of college.
Trigonometry is used to calculate unknown angles and lengths.
Sadly, learning this area of mathematics is difficult as well.
When first presented, it’s not unusual for students to have a lot of difficulty with it.
Mathematical trigonometry has been studied since the time of Ancient Greece.
Even though this type of arithmetic has been around for a while, understanding it is still challenging.
The intricacy of this area of mathematics is largely due to conversions, memorization, and reliance on graphics.
However, calculus, which integrates trigonometry and several other branches of mathematics, is more complex.
In this article, we will list the 10 reasons trigonometry can be hard.
Table of contents
Is Trigonometry Hard? (10 Reasons It Can Be)
Here are ten(10) reasons why it can be hard.
- Functions
- Non-Linear
- Unit Circle
- Radians and Degrees
- Memorization Of Known Values
- Cartesian Coordinate Rules
- Polar Coordinates
- Visual
- Relating Functions To Sides Of Triangles
- Length Of Calculations
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Is Trigonometry Harder Than Calculus?
Although trigonometry is difficult to learn, you could ask if calculus is more complex than trigonometry.
Mathematicians will typically claim that calculus is more difficult than trigonometry.
This is so because calculus combines many diverse areas of mathematics. It makes use of trigonometry, algebra, and geometry.
It is a lot more intricate and difficult than trigonometry since it combines all these many sorts of arithmetic.
At most, trigonometry relies on algebra and geometry for its calculations.
Calculus is a step beyond that. It makes use of ideas like inversions, imaginary numbers, and derivations.
Once you begin studying advanced calculus, the arithmetic becomes quite strange. Because it is grounded in reality, trigonometry is a little simpler to understand.
Working with actual angles and lengths. Calculus occasionally veers off into mathematical theory, which needs keen critical analysis to comprehend.
Even though calculus may appear difficult, trigonometry is not.
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Who Invented Trigonometry?
The origins of modern trigonometry can be attributed to the Ancient Greeks.
Contrary to popular belief, Hipparchus was the true father of trigonometry, not Pythagoras. He thought that every triangle had a circle on which it was inscribed.
Whether the triangle was flat or spherical made no difference. They were all connected by lines that formed a circle.
For the first several centuries, trigonometric studies focused on measuring triangle lengths and analyzing how they linked to angles.
Geometry was used by Hipparchus to illustrate the functions. The contemporary symbols used today for these roles were created in the 17th century.
The Almagest was the first significant work to have trigonometry at its core. Also, the Greek mathematician Ptolemy wrote this treatise on mathematics.
Trigonometry was used in a demonstration that introduced the idea that the Earth would remain stationary while the other planets revolved around it.
Ptolemy supported his claim with simple geometry and trigonometry.
Later, Nicolaus Copernicus would put out the theory of the heliosphere, according to which Earth and the other planets rotated around the sun.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The reason is that unlike linear algebra (solving linear equations) trigonometry is non-linear which makes the formulas non-trivial. Trigonometry is non-linear because it’s (differential) geometry of the circle in basic form and a circle is not a straight line hence the equations are non-linear.
Trigonometric functions can be computationally expensive, especially when used in complex or large calculations. Additionally, they can be difficult to work with when dealing with angles that are not in standard units (such as degrees or radians).
Trigonometry is hard because it deliberately makes difficult what is at heart easy. We know trig is about right triangles, and right triangles are about the Pythagorean Theorem. The simplest math we can write is When this is the Pythagorean Theorem, we’re referring to a right isosceles triangle.
Conclusion
An old area of mathematics with origins in Ancient Greece is trigonometry.
Even though this kind of arithmetic has been around for a while, understanding it is still difficult.
This particular area of mathematics is particularly difficult due to conversions, memorization, and reliance on visuals.
It is not, however, as complicated as calculus, which also incorporates trigonometry and several other mathematical disciplines.
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