Basic Trigonometry
Basic Trigonometry
(OP)
i graduated college in 2010. I recently passed my PE exam. Things are going as planned. Except that I have become trigonometrically challenged...let me explain
During school I could solve truss member forces (or any trigonetric problem) without even thinking. Now, I have to draw a triangle, then slowly draw complimentary and supplementary angles, then "Soh cah toa."
Is this the slow beginning of a mid-life crisis? I am tempted buy some educational computer game targeted to 8th graders so I can become more intimate with trig again. Any suggestion on game titles?
The part that really boggles me is that I use trig nearly everyday, but I have never used calculus during my career and I remember random derivatives and integrals like they are tattooed on the back of my eyelids.
I am too young for Alzheimer's. Can someone please tell me that I am not the only one suffering from lack of trigonetric identity.
In all seriousness, have you lost your previous quick-wittedness in areas before? What did you do, if anything?
Thanks in advance, this really is bothering me.
During school I could solve truss member forces (or any trigonetric problem) without even thinking. Now, I have to draw a triangle, then slowly draw complimentary and supplementary angles, then "Soh cah toa."
Is this the slow beginning of a mid-life crisis? I am tempted buy some educational computer game targeted to 8th graders so I can become more intimate with trig again. Any suggestion on game titles?
The part that really boggles me is that I use trig nearly everyday, but I have never used calculus during my career and I remember random derivatives and integrals like they are tattooed on the back of my eyelids.
I am too young for Alzheimer's. Can someone please tell me that I am not the only one suffering from lack of trigonetric identity.
In all seriousness, have you lost your previous quick-wittedness in areas before? What did you do, if anything?
Thanks in advance, this really is bothering me.





RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
"Knowledge is gathered from learning and education, while most say that wisdom is gathered from day-to-day experiences and is a state of being wise. Knowledge is merely having clarity of facts and truths, while wisdom is the practical ability to make consistently good decisions in life."
A quote from this website:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Knowledge_vs_Wisd...
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RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Basic Trigonometry
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Maine Professional and Structural Engineer. www.fepc.us
RE: Basic Trigonometry
TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
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RE: Basic Trigonometry
I do have the curves burned into my mind though and the small angle approximations (sinx->x, cosx->1-0.5x^2, tanx->x) are instantly available.
All those sum/difference/half/double angle identities are on paper only.
For triangles, the sine rule is easy to remember, but I couldn't write down the cosine rule without help.
Steve
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Glad to hear that I am not the only one.
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Good luck,
Latexman
Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.
RE: Basic Trigonometry
It's "soh cah toa" which is a mnemonic device used to remember the formula to compute the sin, cos, tin of any angle in a right triangle.
SOH means sin= Opposite (over) Hypotenuse or sin(theta)=(length of opposite side)/(length of hypotenuse)
CAH means cos= Adjacent (over) Hypotenuse
TOA means tan= Opposite (over) Adjacent
It's a memory device I believe I learned in grade 8 or 9.
_________________________________________
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RE: Basic Trigonometry
To this day, I have to look up < and > when doing formulas. I don't know why, but I just completely blank on which is which.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog
RE: Basic Trigonometry
That is what I love about this site. When I (or anyone) screws something up, people will not hesitate to politely correct the record. If I'd made that mistake on Facebook, the few people there that would have a clue what I was talking about would have been questioning my ancestry. Thanks for setting the record straight, it really was just a typo.
I learned it in 9th grade as "Chief Soh Cah Toa" and something about adding the silly "Chief" has stuck with me for nearly 50 years.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Maine Professional and Structural Engineer. www.fepc.us
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
I can do addition, multiplication ... the basic stuff so to stay. More than these fundamental operations...mmm well I guess you need to be very sharp... ;)
RE: Basic Trigonometry
TTFN
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Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5
RE: Basic Trigonometry
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Maine Professional and Structural Engineer. www.fepc.us
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Follow through with a look up spell check on wrote vs rote. Rote memorization taught me that.
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Basic Trigonometry
I like your evil plan. I bet LED lighting would be a big hit in the 1700's.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
If I asked an American structural engineer "Is a W10x22 a standard beam size?" and they gave me any response other than "Yes" then I'd have no confidence in them.
If I asked a structural engineer "What size beam do we need here?" and the response was that they'd get back to me on that shortly, I'd understand, though. Some will be able to look at a situation and say "You'll be fine with a C10x15.3 at 5' spacing" off the bat and be fine, but some will care to crunch a few numbers first and I wouldn't begrudge either their answer.
_________________________________________
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RE: Basic Trigonometry
Whether the memorization is what makes them really good I'm not sure of but there is some correlation.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Point taken, obviously some things need to be memorized. Spelling and grammar obviously among them. That said, I still feel most of the STEM fundamentals we learn in primary school don't need to be memorized to be effectively used. Memorization should happen through repetitive use or need to use them quickly without reference (survival skills for example). I remember SOH CAH TOA because I use it quite often, I don't remember how to hand calculate a stiffness matrix because I haven't done one since college. But I know how it works and know how to apply them.
Maine Professional and Structural Engineer. www.fepc.us
RE: Basic Trigonometry
"most of the STEM fundamentals" does not equal "stiffness matrix"
I think there are "fundamentals" that should be ingrained, because the subsequent information cannot be readily understood without understanding the fundamental materials. Memorizing stiffness matrices just makes you more of a nerd...
TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: Basic Trigonometry
I'd also revise my statement to replace "most" with "many". Many fundamentals don't need to be memorized; "most" was too broad and misleading from my intent. Obviously certain fundamentals need to be memorized and repeatedly refreshed if they are needed again but easily forgotten (as appears to be your sons case). Everyone needs to know 2+2=4 to get through daily life, most people memorize this because they use it often. This was the point that I was trying to make; if a skill is useful it will become memorized, or at least an attempt will be made to memorize it.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't have memorized some basic facts of science, math, language, history, and so on. My point was that there are many aspects of the skills we learn in education that are taught and tested from memory alone. Obviously memorizing something makes it easier to prove you learned it but it doesn't accurately reflect what should be learned in my opinion; the existence, application, and usage of the fundamental skill being taught. Thus, the fact that most people forget much of what they memorized in school seems justified.
Maine Professional and Structural Engineer. www.fepc.us
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Basic Trigonometry
I try to do trigonometry, but, see? can't.
RE: Basic Trigonometry
RE: Basic Trigonometry
_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5