Section 10.1 – Tangent Ratios
Tangent Ratio
For a given acute angle 
with a measure of θ°, the tangent of, or tan θ°,
is the ratio of the length of the side opposite to the length of the
side adjacent to in any right triangle.
OR
can also be written as tan A…
The tangent ratio is usually rounded to 4 decimal places (if possible)
Use the tan button on your calculator to find the ratio of a degree measure
Use the tan
(inverse tangent) button on your calculator to find the
degree measure of a ratio
|
Function
and key |
Given
(input) |
Want
to find (output) |
|
tangent tan |
angle measure |
tangent ratio |
|
inverse tangent tan |
ratio |
angle measure |
Find tan A – ratio or decimal (round if necessary)
Find measure - use inverse tangent