Lesson 1: The Tangent Function

 

Focus

 

In a drag race, speeding automobiles are driven down a straight track in an attempt to cross the finish line first. Imagine sitting trackside during a race. Think of how your head twists as a car races past. What is the furthest your head will ever have to turn to see the car? Where will the car be when your head is turning the fastest? The slowest? Will your line of sight ever be parallel to the car's path?

In this lesson you will explore the tangent function. This function can be used to model some problems where an object moving in a straight line is observed. Sine, cosine, and tangent are the three primary trigonometric ratios and are often studied together; however, the tangent function behaves much differently than the other two.

Lesson Outcomes

 

At the end of this lesson you will be able to

• relate the tangent function to its graph
• solve problems using the tangent function

Lesson Questions

 

In this lesson you will investigate the following questions:

• How can the tangent function be represented graphically?
• How can the tangent function be used to solve problems?

Assessment

 

Your assessment may be based on a combination of the following tasks:

• completion of the Lesson 1 Assignment (Download the Lesson 1 Assignment and save it in your course folder now.)
• course folder submissions from Try This and Share activities
• additions to Glossary Terms and Formula Sheet
• work under Project Connection

Self-Check activities are for your own use. You can compare your answers to suggested answers to see if you are on track. If you have difficulty with concepts or calculations, contact your teacher.

 

Remember that the questions and activities you will encounter provide you with the practice and feedback you need to successfully complete this course. You should complete all questions and place your responses in your course folder. Your teacher may wish to view your work to check on your progress and to see if you need help.

 

Time

 

Each lesson in Mathematics 30-1 Learn EveryWare is designed to be completed in approximately two hours. You may find that you require more or less time to complete individual lessons. It is important that you progress at your own pace, based on your individual learning requirements.

 

This time estimation does not include time required to complete Going Beyond activities or the Module Project.