Math 122, sections 001 and 003, Fall 2012
(TR @ 2:00–3:15 PM in BH 442)
Trigonometry
Check the syllabus for exam dates, final exam times, rules and regs, etc.:
Various supplementary assignments, problems, solutions, hints, and other stuff will sporadically appear below.
- For trig students of all sizes: try this online quiz, "Trig-a-gnosis", for testing your understanding of the values of sines and cosines. No scores are generated, it is just for your own use. (You should also try the following: using graph paper, draw an angle θ in standard position, terminating at the point (x, y); guess the sine and cosine of θ, just by looking; measure the values of x, y, r and θ; compute the values of sin(θ) and cos(θ) from their definitions involving x, y, r; then use a calculator to check the values of sin(θ) and cos(θ) for comparison. When your guesses start to get good, you just might understand what sine and cosine mean.)
- Starting in Chapter 2 or so, this online quiz (first posted 25 Jan 2012) helps you practice converting trig functions. Let me know if you have difficulties with it.
- For understanding graphs of sine and cosine functions (Chapter 4), here is a crude online quiz that generates sinusoidal curves, for testing your ability to write an equation of such a curve.
- A few old exams, with and without answers. Your exam will be different, of course, but the main ideas are mostly the same.
- A visual proof of "adding like sines". This will make more sense near the end of the semester, toward the end of Chapter 5.
- An optical illusion created with a bit of trigonometry. (Trig isn't actually required, but it makes it easy.) Don't stare too long, you'll get a headache! The gray, horizontal lines are indeed parallel, but they do not look so. A student showed me a copy of a similar illusion, so I used Mathematica to program my own. (Mathematica is available for your use in the Math Lab and Campus-wide Lab).
- Khan Academy. I do not vouch for these (I noticed a mistake in one of the first videos I watched) and there is no substitute for class attendance and diligent dedication to homework, but some people have recommended these videos, so you might like them. Post your opinions on our Moodle page if you see something useful or provocative. Khan Academy (Trigonometry).
- About the background. I saw this pattern in the fanstastic book, "Tilings and Patterns" by Grünbaum and Shephard. It makes for an interesting trigonometric exercise, if nothing else.
- A site with some visually based quizzes, from the maths online gallery, recommended by a former trig student.
- You might check out some free online trig texts. Let us know on Moodle if you find something you like. Should the LSUS Department of Mathematics adopt a free online text?
- Now let us be clear: NOBODY in this class is a dummy! But one of my former students in this class told me that Trig For Dummies is a good supplementary text. I presume it is carried in any store where books for dummies are sold.
- Your textbook's homepage is here.
You might want to check the Web for Trig stuff. You could start at the
site below, but you'll probably need to dig around awhile before
finding something you like. (Hey --- no heavy surfing until you've
done your homework.)
Trigonometry
(The above site is part of the more general site below.)
Math Forum Internet Math Library