Find the sine, cosine, and tangent of q and a, and express the ratios in fraction form.

1A
α
5 2
5

    5

1. sin q = 4. sin a=

2. cos q = 5. cos a=

3. tan q = 6. tan a=

α
26
13

  13 3

7. sin q = 10. sin a=

8. cos q = 11. cos a=

9. tan q = 12. tan a=

PRECALCULUS Lesson 1A 3
LESSON 1A

9
θ
7
130
α
  

13. sin q = 16. sin a=

14. cos q = 17. cos a=

15. tan q = 18. tan a=

203
α

11
18

θ
   

19. sin q = 22. sin a=

20. cos q = 23. cos a=

21. tan q = 24. tan a=

4 PRECALCULUS
 Find the sine, cosine, and tangent of q and a, and express the ratios in fraction form.
1B
40
θ

30
50

α
  

1. sin q = 4. sin a=

2. cos q = 5. cos a=

3. tan q = 6. tan a=

A
α

B
C

θ
  

7. sin q = 10. sin a=

8. cos q = 11. cos a=

9. tan q = 12. tan a=

PRECALCULUS Lesson 1B 5
LESSON 1B

α
12.5
3.5
θ
  12

13. sin q = 16. sin a=

14. cos q = 17. cos a=

15. tan q = 18. tan a=

α
9
4
θ
    8.5

19. sin q = 22. sin a=

20. cos q = 23. cos a=

21. tan q = 24. tan a=

6 PRECALCULUS
 Find the sine, cosine, and tangent of q and a, and express the ratios in fraction form.
1C
α
12.8
8

θ
   10

1. sin q = 4. sin a=

2. cos q = 5. cos a=

3. tan q = 6. tan a=

12
α

6
13.4
θ
   

7. sin q = 10. sin a=

8. cos q = 11. cos a=

9. tan q = 12. tan a=

PRECALCULUS Lesson 1C 7
LESSON 1C

13.6
α

6.4
15
θ
 

13. sin q = 16. sin a=

14. cos q = 17. cos a=

15. tan q = 18. tan a=

2X
X

    X 3

19. sin q = 22. sin a=

20. cos q = 23. cos a=

21. tan q = 24. tan a=

There is no worksheet 1D for this lesson.

8 PRECALCULUS
Honors A pplication Pages
The next page in this book is entitled Honors.
You will find a special challenge lesson after the last worksheet for each lesson. These
lessons are optional, but highly recommended for students who will be taking advanced math
or science courses.

In the honors lessons, you will find a variety of problems that do the following:
• Review previously learned material in an unfamiliar context.
• Provide practical application of math skills relating to science or everyday life.
• Challenge the student with more complex word problems.
• Expand on concepts taught in the text.
• Familiarize students with problems that are present in standardized testing.
• Prepare for advanced science courses, such as physics.
• Stimulate logical-thinking skills with interesting or unusual math concepts.

Honors 4­­–Step Approach

Here are four steps to help the student receive the most benefit from these pages.

Step 1. Read
Step 2. Think
Step 3. Compare
Step 4. Draw

Step 1. Read
Most of the honors  lessons teach new topics or expand on the concepts taught in the
regular lessons. Read the explanations carefully. Sometimes you will be led step-by-step to
a new concept. When doing word problems, think through what is being described in the
problem before trying to work out the math.

Step 2. Think
It has been suggested that one of the major problems with math instruction in the United
States is that students do not take enough time to think about a problem before giving up. One
of the purposes of the honors pages is to train you in problem-solving skills. Start by deciding
what you already know about the concept being studied, and then look for ways to apply what
you know in order to solve the problem. Don’t be afraid to leave a difficult problem and come
back to it later for a fresh look. You will notice that these lessons do not have as many detailed
examples as those in the instruction manual. In real life, individuals must often use what they
know in new or unexpected ways in order to solve a problem.

PRECALCULUS Honors Application 9

 Step 3. Compare
Compare your solution to the one in the back of the instruction manual. If you solved the
problem differently, see whether you can follow the given solution. There is often more than one
way to solve a problem. The solutions may also give you hints that are not on the lesson pages.
If you are not able to solve a problem on your own, do not be upset. Much of this material was
purposely designed to stretch your math muscles. You will learn a great deal by giving a problem
your best try and then studying the solution.

Step 4. Draw
When in doubt, draw! Often a picture will help you see the big picture and recognize which
math skills are necessary to solve the problem. 

Scheduling Honors Pages

There are several ways to schedule the honors. The first is to simply do each page after finishing
the regular lesson pages. Be sure the student thoroughly understands the lesson material before
attempting the honors.
If a student needs more time to become comfortable with the new concepts in the text before
tackling more advanced problems, he may delay an honors page until he is two or three lessons
ahead in the course. The student may also spread one honors section over two or three days while
continuing to do the regular student pages. This approach allows time to come back to difficult
problems for a fresh look.
Another option is to tackle all the honors pages after finishing the book as a review and as
preparation for the next level. This approach works especially well if you are continuing your
study through the summer months. 

If you have a pre-2010 teacher manual, go online to mathusee.com/solutions.php to access

the honors solutions.

10 PRECALCULUS
 1H
Welcome to PreCalculus honors! Your textbook for this course begins with a definition of trigonometry.
You may be wondering where calculus comes into the picture and what it is. This is a good time to look at
what you have already studied in mathematics, and to see what doors this course can open for you.

Here is a summary of the common fields of mathematics.

Arithmetic is the foundation for all mathematics. It uses the basics—counting, adding,
subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. The calculations are done with actual numbers.
People have been using arithmetic in some form since the beginning.

Geometry as we know it today was developed by the ancient Greeks. It studies entities
such as points, lines, and planes, and is also used to find perimeter, area, and volume. The
geometry commonly studied in high school is sometimes called Euclidean geometry.

Algebra gives us tools for solving equations to find unknown values. It may use letters to
represent unknown values. Algebra was developed in the Middle Ages.

Trigonometry was first used by astronomers. It is based on geometry, but uses many of the
tools of algebra to solve problems that cannot be solved by geometry alone. In surveying
and astronomy, it helps us find distances by using known parts of a triangle. We can also
use trigonometry to describe curves with regularly repeating values, such as radio waves or
electrical currents.

Calculus was first developed in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century by Isaac
Newton and others. It deals with values that change over time and is used in physics,
biology, engineering, economics, and many other fields. Calculus will most likely be the
math course you take after this one.

Calculus combines skills from all of the preceding levels of math to solve a wide variety of prob-
lems. Therefore, Math-U-See PreCalculus will focus on two areas. One is trigonometry, and the other is
advanced algebra skills that you will need in calculus. The usefulness of some of these skills may not be
apparent in this course. Do not be concerned, as they will come together in exciting ways as you continue
your study of mathematics.

PRECALCULUS Honors 1H 11
Honors 1H

If you have a pre-2010 teacher manual, go online to mathusee.com/solutions.php to access the

honors solutions.

Read the following problems and tell the highest field of mathematics necessary to solve each problem.

1. George is working on a surveying project. He knows the distance along one side of
a triangle drawn on his map, and the size of the angle closest to him. He needs to
know the distances along the other sides of the triangle, but the ground is too rough
to measure directly.

2. Sally has $324 that she wants to divide evenly among her three children.

3. A scientist has a formula that describes the relationship between the pressure and
the volume of a certain gas. He knows all the values in the formula except for one,
and needs to find the missing value.

4. A speeder is challenging a ticket based on the distance between toll booths and
her elapsed time. Her rate of speed varied during the trip, and she is attempting to
prove that at no time could it have exceeded the speed limit.

5. Tom knows the dimensions of his triangular garden and wishes to find the area
before buying fertilizer.

If this interests you, there are other fields of mathematics that you may want to investigate. Examples
are statistics, number theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and various studies of patterns such as tessellation.
All of them use skills from the basic five described in this lesson.

12 PRECALCULUS
 2A
Find the missing side of each right triangle. Evaluate all six trig ratios of q and give the answers in fraction
and decimal form.

1. Example 62 + 92 = H2 sin q = 6 = .5545

10.82
36 + 81 = H2
cos q = 9 = .8318
H 117 = H
6 10.82
10.82 = H
tan q = 6
9
θ
9
csc q = =

sec q = =

cot q = =

2.
H
7

θ
13

3.
9.9
L
θ
7

PRECALCULUS Lesson 2A 13
LESSON 2A

4.

15
L

θ
8

5.
20
8

θ
L

6.

L 14

θ
6.2

14 PRECALCULUS
 2B
Find the missing side of each right triangle. Evaluate all six trig ratios of q and give the answers in fraction
and decimal form.

1.

H
4.5

θ
6.6

2.
51
L
θ
6.8

3. H
3
θ
10

PRECALCULUS Lesson 2B 15
LESSON 2B

4.
H
7 2

θ
7 3

5.
H
2 3

θ
11

6.
H
5
θ
12

16 PRECALCULUS
 2C
Find the missing side of each right triangle. Evaluate all six trig ratios of q and give the answers in fraction
and decimal form.

1.
H
8
θ
9

2.
H
5
θ
5

3.
H
3
θ
3

PRECALCULUS Lesson 2C 17
LESSON 2C

4.
13 L
θ
12

5.

H
6

θ
4

6.
H
7
θ
7

There is no worksheet 2D for this lesson.

18 PRECALCULUS
 2H
Symmetry has surprising and important applications in advanced mathematics. Informally, we say
something is symmetric about a line when it is the same on both sides of a line drawn down its center.
Here is what this looks like with the graphs of some common curves.

Figure 1

This parabola is symmetric with respect to the y-axis. If a

horizontal line segment was drawn at any point across the
Y = X2 curve, the y-axis would be the midpoint of the line segment.

Figure 2

This parabola is symmetric with respect to the x-axis. If

a vertical line segment was drawn at any point across the
curve, the x-axis would be the midpoint of the line segment.
2
X=Y

Figure 3

This ellipse is symmetric with respect to both the x-

and y-axes.

2 2
9X + 4Y = 36

PRECALCULUS Honors 2H 19
Honors 2H

Some equations are symmetric with respect to the x- or y-axes. There are easy tests to check for this
kind of symmetry.

Example 1

3 2
Is 3y = x symmetric about the y-axis?

It is symmetric with respect to the y-axis if replacing x with (–x) produces

the original equation.

3 2
3y = x original equation

3 2 3 2
3y = (–x) ⇒ 3y = x Yes, the equation is symmetric with respect
to the y-axis.

Example 2

3 2
Is 3y = x symmetric about the x-axis?

It is symmetric with respect to the x-axis if replacing y with (–y) produces

the original equation.

3 2
3y = x original equation

3 2 3 2
3(–y) = x ⇒ –3y = x No, the equation is not symmetric with respect
to the x-axis, because the test changes the sign
of one side of the equation.

20 PRECALCULUS
 Honors Lesson 2H

Test each equation to see if its graph is symmetrical around the x-axis or the y-axis.

4 2
1. y = 2x

3
2. 2y = x + 5

4
3. y = x

A graph is symmetric around the origin if replacing x with (–x) and replacing y with (–y) maintains
the equality. These graphs are known as “odd” graphs.

Example 3
3
Is y = x symmetric with respect to the origin?

3
y = x original equation

3 3
(–y) = (–x) ⇒ –y = –x Replace y with (–y) and x with (–x).

3 3
–y = –x ⇒ y = x Multiplying both sides by (-1) yields the original
equation. The graph is symmetric with respect to
(or around) the origin.

PRECALCULUS 21
Honors Lesson 2H

Test each equation to see if its graph is symmetrical around the x-axis, the y-axis, or the origin.

2 2
4. 9x + 4y = 35

2
5. 3y = x + 2

6. xy = 2

7. y = | x | – 3

22 PRECALCULUS
 3A
Using the trig table in the instruction manual, find the ratios for the following trigonometric functions.

1. cos 37º = 6. tan ___º = .6249

2. tan 51º = 7. cos ___º = .4540

3. sin 20º = 8. tan ___º = .0875

4. sin 49º = 9. sin ___º = .9781

5. cos 65º = 10. tan ___º = 14.3007

Use all three ratios to confirm the measures of angle q and angle a.

11. 20
α

18
26.9

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

PRECALCULUS Lesson 3A 23
LESSON 3A

12.
α
12.2
7
θ
10

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

13. 100
α

64.5
119
θ

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

24 PRECALCULUS
 3B
Using the trig table in the instruction manual, find the ratios for the following trigonometric functions.

1. sin 12º = 6. sin ___º = .9336

2. cos 86º = 7. tan ___º = 4.0108

3. sin 40º = 8. sin ___º = .9986

4. tan 22º = 9. tan ___º = 1.4826

5. cos 18º = 10. cos ___º = .9925

Use all three ratios to confirm the measure of angle q and angle a.

11. 4.85
α
1.2
5 θ

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

PRECALCULUS Lesson 3B 25
LESSON 3B

12.
α
19.8
14

θ
14

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

13.
α
100
34

θ
94

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

26 PRECALCULUS
 Use all three ratios to confirm the measure of angle q and angle a.
3C
1.
α
20
10

θ
17.3

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

2.
θ
8
3.9

α
7

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

Find the missing side of each right triangle. Round your answers to the nearest hundredth. Evaluate all six
trig ratios of q and give the answers in fraction and decimal form.

3.
H
17

θ
17

PRECALCULUS Lesson 3C 27
LESSON 3C

4.
H
6
θ
8.4

5.
18
9
θ
L

6. 6
θ
5
H

28 PRECALCULUS
 Use all three ratios to confirm the measure of angle q and angle a.
3D
1. 12.3
α
2.18
θ 12.5

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

2. 8
α

11 7.5
θ

sin q = =. sin a = =.

cos q = =. cos a = =.

tan q = =. tan a = =.

q= º a= º

Find the missing side of each right triangle. Round your answers to the nearest hundredth. Evaluate all six
trig ratios of q and give the answers in fraction and decimal form.

3.

H
12

θ
7

PRECALCULUS Lesson 3D 29
LESSON 3D

4.

H 13

θ
12

5.
H
9
θ
12

6.
5 2 H

θ
14

30 PRECALCULUS
 3H
Before the era of calculators, when all that was available was a good trig table, students had to do some-
thing called interpolation. We used a table that went to tenths of a degree with the corresponding trig
ratios. This posed a problem if the ratio didn’t fit any ratio in the table, or if the angle went to hundredths
of a degree. Interpolation is still a useful skill if you need to find a value between two given values.
Here are two examples of how to interpolate to find a value between two others on a table such as a
trig table. Just the sine function and the portion of the trig table from 59° to 60° is given below. This is
enough to learn the concept.
degrees sin
Example 1 59.0 .8572
If the sine ratio is .8594, what is the corresponding degree? 59.1 .8581
59.2 .8590
We can see that .8594 falls between .8590 and .8599, so 59.3 .8599
9.4
59 .8607
the degree is between 59.2 and 59.3, and will be expressed
59.5 .8616
in hundredths. The question is, “How much between?” and
59.6 .8625
it is solved using ratios. 59.7 .8634
59.8 .8643
59.9 .8652
X 59.20 .8590 4 X = 4
10 59.2 ? .8594 9 60.0 .8660
10 9
59.30 .8599
X = 40 = 4.44
9
 Round the value of x to 4 and add it to 59.20
4 59.20 .8590 4
10 59.24 .8594 9 to find the degree value for sin. The answer
59.30 .8599
is .8594.

Instead of making the ratio “x hundredths to 10 hundredths” and “4 ten-thousandths to 9 ten-thou-

sandths,” we simplified this way: “x is to 10 as 4 is to 9.” This is possible since each ratio uses values from
the same place value. Just keep in mind that when you solve the proportion and find that x is 4, that x is
is in the hundredths place, so the result is actually .04.

Example 2
What is the sine ratio for 59.92º? Again, use the table and find a ratio.

2 59.90 .8652 X 2 = X
10 59.92 .86 8
10 8
60.00 .8660
X= 16 = 1.6
10
2 59.90
 .8652 X Round the value of x to 2 and add it to .8652
10 59.92 .8654 8
60.00 .8660 to find the sin of 59.92º.

Remember that the 2 is actually .0002.

PRECALCULUS Honors 3H 31
Honors 3H

Use interpolation to answer the questions. Use the portion of the trig table shown.

1. If the sine ratio is .8612, what is the corresponding degrees sin

degree to the nearest hundredth? 59.0 .8572
59.1 .8581
59.2 .8590
59.3 .8599
9.4
59 .8607
59.5 .8616
59.6 .8625
59.7 .8634
59.8 .8643
2. If the sine ratio is .8636, what is the corresponding
59.9 .8652
degree to the nearest hundredth? 60.0 .8660

3. What is the sine ratio for 59.67º?

4. What is the sine ratio for 59.13º?

32 PRECALCULUS
test

On each test, questions 1-10 cover new concepts that must be mastered before moving on. Ques-
1
tions 11-15 are carefully chosen review questions from this book or previous courses. They are designed
to prepare you for upcoming lessons.
Circle your answer. Use this triangle for #6 and #7.

1. The study of trigonometry is the α

study of: C
B

A. triangles
B. graphs θ
C. rectangles A
D. area

2. Trigonometric ratios are based on 6. The value of sin θ is:

what kind of triangle?
A. A
C
A. equilateral
B. acute
C. right B. B
C
D. none of the above

adjacent
3. The ratio is called the: C. A
hypotenuse B

A. sine
B. tangent D. C
B
C. cotangent
D. cosine

opposite
4. The ratio is called the: 7. The value of tan α is:
adjacent

A. tangent A. B
A
B. sine
C. cosine
D. none of the above B. A
C
hypotenuse
5. The ratio is called the:
opposite
C. A
B
A. sine
B. cosine
C. tangent D. C
B
D. none of the above
PRECALCULUS Test 1 3
test 1

Use the triangle below for #8–10. 12. One leg of a 45º-45º-90º triangle
is 3. What is the length of
8. The value of cos θ is: the hypotenuse?

3 α
A. A. 3 3
2 10
5
B. 1/2 B. 3 2
θ
C. 3 C. 6
5 3
1
D. D. 3/2
3

9. The value of sin α is: 13. The hypotenuse of a 30º-60º-90º

triangle is 8. What is the length
A. 3 of the short side?
2

B. 1/2 A. 4 3
B. 3
C. 3 C. 4 2
D. 4
1
D.
3

10. The value of tan θ is: 14. The sides of a triangle are 6, 6 3 ,
and 12. What kind of triangle is it?
A. 3
A. 45º–45º–90º
B. 2 B. equilateral
C. 30º–60º–90º
C. 1/2 D. unknown

D. 3
3

11. Two angles that add up to 90º 15. To find the hypotenuse of a
are called: 45º-45º-90º triangle, multiply the
length of a leg by:
A. supplementary
B. complementary A. 2
C. opposite B. 2
D. tangent C. 3
D. 1/2

4 PRECALCULUS
test

Circle your answer.

2
1. 1 is the same as: 5. The value of cos θ is:
sin θ

A. cos θ A. B
C
B. csc θ
C. sec θ B. A
C
D. tan θ
C. A
1 is the same as: B
2.
cos θ
D. C
A
A. sin θ
B. csc θ 6. The value of csc α is:
C. sec θ
D. cot θ A. C
A

3. 1 is the same as: B. B

cot θ C

A. tan θ C. A
C
B. csc θ
C. sec θ D. C
B
D. cot θ

Use this triangle for #4–6. Use this triangle for #7 and #8.
B
α
4
2
A
C
θ
2 3
   
4. The value of sec θ is: 7. The value of cot 30º is:

A. C A. 3
B 3

B. A B. 1/2
C

C. B C. 3
A

D. C D. 2
A

PRECALCULUS Test 2 5
test 2

8. The value of sec 60º is: 12. The value of sin 60º is:

A. 3 A. 1/2
2

B. 1/2 B. 3
2

C. 2 3 C. 2
2 2

D. 2 D. 2

9. Sin θ is 15/17. What is the decimal 13. The value of tan 45º is:
equivalent rounded to the nearest
ten-thousandths place? A. 2

A. 1.1333 B. 1/2
B. .8823
C. .8824 C. 1
D. .2550
D. 2
10. What is the decimal equivalent
of the reciprocal of sec θ when the 14. The value of cos 45º is:
sec θ = 5/3? (Round to four places.)
A. 2
2
A. 1.6666
B. .6000 B. 2
3
C. 1.6667
D. .6001 C. 2

Sketch and label the two special triangles D. 2

described below, and then answer #11–15.
  Triangle 1: 30º-60º-90º, Short Side = 1, H = 2. 15. The value of tan 30º is:
  Triangle 2: 45º-45º-90º, H = 2 .
A. 2 3
11. The value of sin 30º is:
B. 3
A. 1/2
B. 3/2 C. 3
1

C. 2 D. 3
2 3

D. 2

6 PRECALCULUS
test

Use the trig tables in the instruction manual

for #1–4.
3
1. cos 26º = 5. Complementary angles:

A. .8988 A. have the same sine

B. .4384 B. have the same cosine
C. .4877 C. add up to 90º
D. 74.5 D. add up to 180º

2. tan θ = 1.4283. The measure of θ is 6. The complement of 17º is

closest to:
A. 163º
A. 54º B. 33º
B. 54.2º C. 71º
C. 56º D. 73º
D. 55º

Use this triangle for #3 and #4. 7. sin α may be written as:
cos α
α
A. tan α
7.2
4 B. cot α
C. 1
θ D. sec α
  6
3. The measure of θ is closest to: 8. cos α may be written as:
sin α

A. 57º A. tan α
B. 61º B. cot α
C. 34º C. 2 cos α sin α
D. 42º D. csc α

4. The measure of α is closest to: 9. A right triangle has angles that

measure 90º, α, and θ. Sin α is the
A. 33º same as:
B. 34º
C. 29º A. cos α
D. 56º B. tan θ
C. cos θ
D. sin θ

PRECALCULUS Test 3 7
test 3

10. In the triangle described in #9, 13. 1 is the same as:

csc θ
tan θ is not:
A. cot θ
A. the reciprocal of tan α
B. sec θ
B. the same as cot α
C. sin θ
C. equal to sin θ
cos θ
D. cos θ
D. equal to cos θ
sin θ
For #14 and #15, sketch the triangles if needed.

11. The measures of the legs of a right 14. The value of tan 45º is:
triangle are 9 and 13. What is the
measure of the hypotenuse? A. 1

A. 22 B. 2

B. 3 13 C. 2
2

C. 250 D. 1
2

D. 5 10

12. 1 is the same as: 15. The value of cos 60º is:
sec θ

A. tan θ A. 2
2
B. sin θ
C. cos θ B. 3
D. csc θ
C. 3
2

D. 1
2

8 PRECALCULUS