Can Someone Explain This Trig Picture to Me?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Meadman23
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Explain Picture Trig
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
4 replies · 2K views
Meadman23
Messages
43
Reaction score
0
Its the attached picture. I'm not seeing why when using the dot product, they start using sin.
 

Attachments

  • untitled.JPG
    untitled.JPG
    8.8 KB · Views: 488
Last edited:
Mathematics news on Phys.org
The picture is self explanatory. If you know trig, it should be elementary.
 
I'm just not getting it. '
I see that the angle between r and x is phi, thus in using the formula, r (dot) x = (1)(1) cos(phi).

Then I see the angle between r and y is (90-phi), thus in using the formula, r (dot) y = (1)(1)cos(90-phi) = sin (phi).

I then see the angle between phi and x is (90 +phi), thus in using the formula, phi (dot) x = (1)(1)cos(90+phi) = -sin (phi)

I then see the angle between phi and y is (180 - phi), thus in using the formula, phi (dot) y = (1)(1)cos(180-phi) = -cos (phi)?

I don't get why the last one is +cos(phi)...
 
Look at the blue part of the diagram ... phi(dot)y = cos(phi).