Ask A Scientist© Physics Archive

Question:  I am a sophomore in Advanced Algebra with Trigonometry class.  I have 
an assignment to interview a person who uses trig in his/her routine
work.  HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS: What is your job title?
Who is your employer? What aspects of trigonometry do you use in your
career (like triangles, vectors, sine waves)?
What kinds of problems are solved using trigonometry?
What kinds of tools are used (for example computers, calculators,
computer-aided drafting programs, blue prints, surveying tools)?
Could you give me an example of a specific problem that has been solved
using trigonometry?
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Answer 1:  Looking for real life experiences using trig.
Yup, same for me.  Simple trig I do in my head, the rest I do
on a computer.  One essential trig element in my research is
the concept of a Fourier transform - this gives the relation
between a signal in time and the frequency components that
go into the signal, and in quantum mechanics gives a relation
between position in space and momentum of particles.  I also
need to use trig in geometric situations - for example I do
simulations of a bunch of atoms in a cluster, and so if
I want to figure out some of the properties of the cluster
I need to calculate the bond angles, which is an inverse
trig operation (take a couple of dot products and do
an arc-cosine).  Vectors are everywhere in physics, of course,
but they are not normally considered part of trigonometry -
it is a whole other part of mathematics.
Since it is past your deadline and I am on the other side
of the country I will not fax you anything, but if you are still
interested you could look up a library book on "partial
differential equations", look for the chapter on the "heat equation"
or something like that, and check out how they solve that
particular (differential equation problem) using trigonometric
functions of various sorts.  Or you could look up "Fourier Transforms"...
Or "AC circuits" (electricity is provided in sine-wave fashion,
and the trigonometric phase relation between voltage and
current determines the power dissipation).
Arthur Smith
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Answer 2:  I am a theoretical physical chemist.  Chemists use trigonometry
routinely to interpret spectroscopic probes of molecules
and use them to figure out molecular structures.
Without trigonometry we would know very little about chemistry!
Topper
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