Trigonometry Formulas and Properties

Reciprocal Identities: Tangent and Cotangent Identities:

sin 𝜃𝜃 cos 𝜃𝜃
1 1 tan 𝜃𝜃 = cot =
sin 𝜃𝜃 = csc 𝜃𝜃 = cos 𝜃𝜃 sin 𝜃𝜃
csc 𝜃𝜃 sin 𝜃𝜃

1 1
cos 𝜃𝜃 = sec 𝜃𝜃 =
sec 𝜃𝜃 cos 𝜃𝜃 Pythagorean Identities:
sin2 𝜃𝜃 + cos 2 𝜃𝜃 = 1
1 1
tan 𝜃𝜃 = cot 𝜃𝜃 = tan2 𝜃𝜃 + 1 = sec 2 𝜃𝜃
cot 𝜃𝜃 tan 𝜃𝜃
1 + cot 2 𝜃𝜃 = csc 2 𝜃𝜃

Even/Odd Formulas: Cofunction Formulas:

𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
sin(−𝜃𝜃) = − sin 𝜃𝜃 cos(−𝜃𝜃) = cos 𝜃𝜃 tan(−𝜃𝜃) = − tan 𝜃𝜃 sin � − 𝜃𝜃� = cos 𝜃𝜃 csc � − 𝜃𝜃� = sec 𝜃𝜃 tan � − 𝜃𝜃� = cot 𝜃𝜃
2 2 2
𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
csc(−𝜃𝜃) = − csc 𝜃𝜃 sec(−𝜃𝜃) = sec 𝜃𝜃 cot(−𝜃𝜃) = − cot 𝜃𝜃 cos � − 𝜃𝜃� = sin 𝜃𝜃 sec � − 𝜃𝜃� = csc 𝜃𝜃 cot � − 𝜃𝜃� = tan 𝜃𝜃
2 2 2

Product to Sum Formulas: Sum to Product Formulas:

1 𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽 𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽
sin 𝛼𝛼 sin 𝛽𝛽 = [cos(𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽) − cos(𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽)] sin 𝛼𝛼 + sin 𝛽𝛽 = 2 sin � � cos � �
2 2 2
1 𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽 𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽
cos 𝛼𝛼 cos 𝛽𝛽 = [cos(𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽) + cos(𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽)] sin 𝛼𝛼 − sin 𝛽𝛽 = 2 cos � � sin � �
2 2 2
1 𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽 𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽
sin 𝛼𝛼 cos 𝛽𝛽 = [sin(𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽) + sin(𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽)] cos 𝛼𝛼 + cos 𝛽𝛽 = 2 cos � � cos � �
2 2 2
1
cos 𝛼𝛼 sin 𝛽𝛽 = [sin(𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽) − sin(𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽)] 𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽 𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽
2 cos 𝛼𝛼 − cos 𝛽𝛽 = −2 sin � � sin � �
2 2

Sum and Difference Formulas: Half-Angle Formulas: Double Angle Formulas:

sin(𝛼𝛼 ± 𝛽𝛽) = sin 𝛼𝛼 cos 𝛽𝛽 ± sin 𝛽𝛽 cos 𝛼𝛼 𝜃𝜃 1 − cos 𝜃𝜃 sin(2𝜃𝜃) = 2 sin 𝜃𝜃 cos 𝜃𝜃
sin � � = ±�
2 2
cos(𝛼𝛼 ± 𝛽𝛽) = cos 𝛼𝛼 cos 𝛽𝛽 ∓ sin 𝛼𝛼 sin 𝛽𝛽
cos(2𝜃𝜃) = cos2 𝜃𝜃 −sin2 𝜃𝜃
tan 𝛼𝛼 ± tan 𝛽𝛽 𝜃𝜃 1 + cos 𝜃𝜃
tan(𝛼𝛼 ± 𝛽𝛽) = cos � � = ±� = 2 cos2 𝜃𝜃 − 1
1 ∓ tan 𝛼𝛼 tan 𝛽𝛽 2 2
= 1 − 2 sin2 𝜃𝜃
Periodic Formulas: 𝜃𝜃 1 − cos 𝜃𝜃
tan � � = ±�
sin(𝜃𝜃 + 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = sin 𝜃𝜃 csc(𝜃𝜃 + 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = csc 𝜃𝜃 2 1 + cos 𝜃𝜃 2tan 𝜃𝜃
tan 2𝜃𝜃 =
1 − tan2 𝜃𝜃
cos(𝜃𝜃 + 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = cos 𝜃𝜃 sec(𝜃𝜃 + 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = sec 𝜃𝜃
tan(𝜃𝜃 + 𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = tan 𝜃𝜃 cot(𝜃𝜃 + 𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋) = cot 𝜃𝜃

Updated: October 2019

Trigonometric Functions:
Right Triangle: Unit Circle: y

hypotenuse (𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦)

opposite r θ
x

adjacent

opposite hypotnuse
sin θ = csc θ = 𝑦𝑦 𝑟𝑟
hypotnuse opposite sin 𝜃𝜃 = csc 𝜃𝜃 =
𝑟𝑟 𝑦𝑦
adjacent hypotnuse
cos θ = sec θ = 𝑥𝑥 𝑟𝑟
hypotnuse adjacent cos 𝜃𝜃 = sec 𝜃𝜃 =
𝑟𝑟 𝑥𝑥
opposite adjacent 𝑦𝑦 𝑥𝑥
tan θ = cot θ = tan 𝜃𝜃 = cot 𝜃𝜃 =
adjacent opposite
𝑥𝑥 𝑦𝑦

Inverse Trigonometric Functions:

Definition: Alternative Definition:
−1
𝑦𝑦 = sin 𝑥𝑥 ����� 𝑥𝑥 = sin 𝑦𝑦 sin−1 𝑥𝑥 =arcsin 𝑥𝑥
same as

𝑦𝑦 = cos −1 𝑥𝑥 ����� 𝑥𝑥 = cos 𝑦𝑦 cos−1 𝑥𝑥 =arccos 𝑥𝑥

same as

tan−1 𝑥𝑥 =arctan 𝑥𝑥
Law of Sines:
sin 𝛼𝛼
=
sin 𝛽𝛽
=
sin 𝛾𝛾 𝑦𝑦 = tan−1 𝑥𝑥 ������ 𝑥𝑥 = tan 𝑦𝑦
𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎
𝑎𝑎 𝑏𝑏 𝑐𝑐

Domain and Range:

Law of Cosines:
𝑎𝑎2 = 𝑏𝑏 2 + 𝑐𝑐 2 − 2𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏 cos 𝛼𝛼 Function Domain Range
𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
𝑦𝑦 = sin−1 𝑥𝑥 −1 ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ 1 − ≤ 𝑦𝑦 ≤
𝑏𝑏 2 = 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑐𝑐 2 − 2𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 cos 𝛽𝛽 2 2

𝑦𝑦 = cos −1 𝑥𝑥 −1 ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ 1 0 ≤ 𝑦𝑦 ≤ 𝜋𝜋
2 2
𝑐𝑐 = 𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏 − 2𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 cos 𝛾𝛾 𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
𝑦𝑦 = tan−1 𝑥𝑥 −∞ ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ ∞ − < 𝑦𝑦 <
2 2

Law of Tangents: 𝑦𝑦 = cot −1 𝑥𝑥 −∞ ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ ∞ 0 ≤ 𝑦𝑦 ≤ 𝜋𝜋

1
𝑎𝑎 − 𝑏𝑏 tan 2 (𝛼𝛼 − 𝛽𝛽) 𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
= 𝑦𝑦 = sec −1 𝑥𝑥 𝑥𝑥 ≤ −1, 𝑥𝑥 ≥ 1 0 ≤ 𝑦𝑦 < , < 𝑦𝑦 ≤ 𝜋𝜋
𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏 tan 1 (𝛼𝛼 + 𝛽𝛽) 2 2
2
𝜋𝜋 𝜋𝜋
1 𝑦𝑦 = csc −1 𝑥𝑥 𝑥𝑥 ≤ −1, 𝑥𝑥 ≥ 1 − ≤ 𝑦𝑦 < 0 , 0 < 𝑦𝑦 ≤
𝑏𝑏 − 𝑐𝑐 tan 2 (𝛽𝛽 − 𝛾𝛾) 2 2
=
𝑏𝑏 + 𝑐𝑐 tan 1 (𝛽𝛽 + 𝛾𝛾)
2
1
𝑎𝑎 − 𝑐𝑐 tan 2 (𝛼𝛼 − 𝛾𝛾) Inverse Properties:
=
𝑎𝑎 + 𝑐𝑐 tan 1 (𝛼𝛼 + 𝛾𝛾)
2 sin (sin−1 (𝑥𝑥)) = 𝑥𝑥 sin−1 (sin(𝜃𝜃)) = 𝜃𝜃

cos (cos−1 (𝑥𝑥)) = 𝑥𝑥 cos −1 (cos(𝜃𝜃)) = 𝜃𝜃

tan (tan−1 (𝑥𝑥)) = 𝑥𝑥 tan−1 (tan(𝜃𝜃)) = 𝜃𝜃

Updated: October 2019