Trigonometry and What the Heck is SOH CAH TOA?

This is not a rigorous post in trigonometry but a basic introduction to what trigonometry is and how it’s used. 

First review the short video below on the mnemonic SOH CAH TOA and then I’ll highlight some applications on trigonometry:

One use of trigonometry is to find distances by measuring angles.   When the object’s height or width is known you can find the distance of the object.  You need to calculate the angular diameter of the object through observation.  This application is known as stadimetry.   You can also measure interplanetary distances or distance to the stars in the same manner. 

Trigonometry can be used to locate one’s position based on signals from wireless signal transmitters at two or more widely separated points.  For example, the Global Positiong System (GPS) uses the idea of timing to measure distances.  

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