How to Solve the Ambiguous Case (SSA) in Trigonometry
TL;DR: SSA — side-side-angle — is famously the ambiguous case in trigonometry, and for good reason. When you’re handed two sides and an angle that isn’t between them, there might be zero valid triangles, exactly one, or two completely different valid triangles that fit. Your job is to use the Law of Sines, then carefully […]
How to define Polar Coordinates
The Power of Polar Coordinates in Mathematics Converting Between Cartesian and Polar Coordinates The connection between Cartesian and Polar coordinates isn’t lost – we can convert between these two systems. Given a Cartesian coordinate \((x, y)\), the polar coordinates \((r, θ)\) can be found by: \(r=\sqrt{x²+y²}\) \(θ =arctan(\frac{y}{x})\) The reverse conversion is equally straightforward: \(x […]
