Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason (www.whyslopes.com)
||Définition d'une variable || Algèbre || Arithmetique || Logique ||La raison basée sur les règles et modelés||

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1,  Elements of Reason.
1A. Pattern Based Reason 
1B. Math Curriculum Notes
2. Three Skills for Algebra
3. Why Slopes & More Math

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2. Solving Linear Equations
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YOU are better than YOU think. Show yourself  how:  

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Read  logic chapters 1 to 5  in online volume Three Skills for Algebra  for greater skills & confidence in  work 
and study

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 Logic chapters 1 to 5  re- appear not in sequence, as is or longer,  in  Volume 1A,  Pattern Based Reason, Bon Appetite.

Logic Mastery
 Amazing, Amusing, Amorous,  Delicious, Delightful, Edifying, Strengthening Elixir. 
It eases work & learning difficulties Makes the hard easier. Opens eyes. Leads to greater precision.
in reading and
writing

Logic mastery makes the hard, easier. Logic mastery  leads to better, stronger and richer comprehension.  Logic mastery  improves reading and writing.  Logic mastery ease learning difficulties.  Logic mastery gives a headstart.  In sum, logic mastery  will develops critical thinking, improve reading and writing, and give a firmer base for work and studies at many levels. Good luck.


After logic  (a) continue reading Three Skills for Algebra, chapters 8 to 14  and do so alongside site area on solving liinear Equations ; or (b) see this calculus starter lesson and Volume 3, Why Slopes  & More Math, chapters 2 to 6;

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Caution: Site advice is approximately correct, for some circumstances, not all. That leaves room for thought

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What may be learnt and when depends on how skills and concepts are developed. Making the hard easier and clearer will allow earlier & richer development of skills and concepts.


Try the Twiddla Whiteboard. In principle, it  allows to people to draw and chat together online on a copy of this webpage or a clean sheet. The chat may be via text or audio.  Visit www.twiddla.com to set up whiteboards to work with the webpage of your choice.

For online automated help in senior high school maths & calculus, visit  quickmath.com  For Automatic Calculus and Algebra Help with derivatives, integrals, graphs, linear equations, matrix algebra, visit calc101.com  With  overlap, each site quickmath & calc101offers a different range of services, some free, some not, all based on webmathematica. Good luck.

Incomplete

12 Trigonometry and a little Similarity

Teachers: The fact that we use the sine and cosine laws for angles between 0 and 180 requires we define trig functions at least in the interval 0 to 180 degrees.

Unit Circle Definition of Trig functions for 0 to 360 degrees with very quick mention or none for angles > 360 or < 0.

Calculation or approximation of trig functions for angles in and possible outside the interval  0 to 360 degrees with the aid of electronic calculators.

The notation convention  cos2(q) = (cos(q))2

The Pythagorean Identity

    cos2(q) + sin2(q) = 1  for all angles q.

Similarity of Right Triangles

Application: Show how trig functions for acute angles are given by fractions with numerators and denominators equal the length of sided of right triangles. Thus students see the math 436 approach.

Proof and Use of the sine law for acute and obtuse triangles, so angles between 0 and 180 degrees

Proof and Use of the cosine law for acute and obtuse triangles, so angles between 0 and 180 degrees.

Applications of Trig functions and laws alone or with Pythagorean ideas.

Use of trig function definitions, Pythagorean identity, use of sine and cosine laws in solving for missing lengths and angles, one at a time and one after another, in isolated triangles and in entangled (overlapping or adjacent) triangles.

8. Trigonometry

A. Trigonometry

The simplest way to introduce trigonometric functions (functions on your calculator) is to begin with their unit circle definitions, and then specialize to their right triangle computation with the help of  similarity assumptions about  triangles, right or scalene. Several steps follow for reading in or besides your trig course.

Step 1.

 Draw a unit circle

Your unit of measurement may be one centimeter, one meter, one kilometer, one inch, one foot, one yard, one mile or any other unit. Choose one,  or draw a circle and declare its radius to be your unit length.

Exercise for Later: How does similarity assumptions for right triangles imply the results, here the definition of trig functions below, is independent of the choose of unit length?

Step 2.

Let q be an angle. Locate the head of the vector with angle q and length 1 on the unit circle.

Step 3.

The head will have coordinates (a units, b units)

  on circle of radius 1 unit.

Put cos(q) =a and sin (q) =b. This defines both sine and cosine for all values of the angle q.

Further trig functions may be defined as follows.

when the divisors are nonzero.

The case where q is between 0 and 90 degrees is considered next.

Step 4 (Right Triangle Trigonometry)

circle of radius 1 unit.


Assume q is between 0 and 90 degrees.  Then

For angles between 0 and 90 degrees, similarity of right triangles implies the ratios

if you  replace the unit circle right triangle by a similar right triangle.

The latter  formulas for  may be used to compute with any right triangle where sides are labeled opposite and adjacent for an angle    The  further trig functions may be defined as follows.

when the divisors are nonzero.

Exercise: Express these further trig functions as ratios of the sides opposite, adjacent and/or hypotenuse of the above right triangle.

A trig course will explain the following  in more detail.

Trig functions link the ratio of two sides of a right triangle to cosines, sines and tangents of an angle. Knowledge of two sides in right triangle gives knowledge of the third by means of Pythagorean theorem, and of the values of the trig functions for the angles in the triangle.  Computation of unknown side lengths, unknown hypotenuse lengths and unknown angles is useful in land measurement (geo - metry) and also in navigation.

From one-to-one properties of trig functions for angles between 0 and 90 degrees or ½p, one can define (say how to compute) inverse trig functions (more functions on your calculator)  to compute the angles from the ratio of sides. Computation with inverse trig functions allows one to obtain polar coordinates for vectors or complex numbers from coordinates, real and imaginary parts, or the length of the adjacent and opposite sides of a right triangle determined by the coordinates. Again, this removes the need to measure the lengths and angles for points with rectangular coordinates [a, b].

Calculation

One may define trig functions by saying how to compute them in principle as above, but then one computes or approximates them in practice from tables and slide rules (old fashioned approach) or using calculators (the new approach). Unfortunately in this practice,  the tables, slide rules or calculation devices are black boxes which provide results, but whose derivation or justification is not commonly known. This departs from the principle of understanding the computations one does, but the numbers computed by these black boxes can be checked in simple cases. When calculators first arrived, some used faulty or suboptimal methods (algorithms) to compute.

 

www.whyslopes.com
Lesson & Lesson Plans for
Sec IV (Maths 436)


a reference for learning and teaching functions, polynomials, solving linear systems, 
powers + exponents + bases + radicals (roots) , quadratic formulas, equations of straight lines

1A. Master Logic
1B. Problems Solving Method
2A Solve Linear Equations i
2B.Solve Linear Equation II
2C Use Equal Sign Properly
2D. Perfect Arithmetic Skills
3 Words & Symbols
3 Goals to Set for Students
4 Use Equations Backwardly
5. Master Functions & Relations
6. Exponents & Radicals I
6 Exponents & Radicals II
7. Straight Lines
8. Polynomials (x,/,+/-)
9. Quadratics
10 Prove it
13 Similarity Scale Factors
12 Trig & Triangles
14 Statistics
MEQ Intermediate Objectives
Remarks for Teachers


Sit down and study - no one else can do that for you.

Advice and Directions
What to do in School   & Why
How to Study Maths & Why

Preparing for Science 

Good News: If you can learn to follow a multi-step methods in any subject precisely, you should be able to do so in other subjects, as well. Hint: Start with arithmetic

Words Before Symbols: 
What is a Variable?
Level:  Secondary II to VI, or Grades 7 to 12)
Introduction
Variation between Examples

Variation of Letters

A letter denotes a variable

Cases of Double Variation

Three Notions of a Variable

Constants, Parameters
& Variables

Talking about numbers
Dependent or Independent
Variable, a Matter of Choice

Complex number starter lesson  

Arithmetic Videos
Fractions
Primes
Greatest Common Divisors

Least Common Multiples

Square Root Simplification

Arithmetic Videos

Decimal Addition Methods
Decimal Subtraction Methods
Decimal Multiplication Methods
Decimal Division Methods


Fraction Starter Lesson
(simplify, multiply, divide & 
then add or subtract)


 

 

 



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a 1983 McGill. Ph. D. in mathematics
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