Trigonometry I'll never use that.

[Nibor]

I recently worked out what stem I needed using basic trigonometry. I then mused than as a Yoof my school colleagues (often less mathematically talented) used to ponder when they would ever use algebra, trigonometry etc..

I find applied maths a very useful tool do other members? or do you prefer to guess and hop[e for the best.

(You may also note that I am not as talented at grammar.)

 

[Crackle]

I like to work things out with a pencil.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I used SOH-CAH-TOA the other day and amazed the bloke in IKEA by getting the answer just as quickly as him and his computer design application.

Some of the ways I learned maths are radically different to how my GCSE age kids are doing now, they can be baffled by the way they get at school, I can sit down with them, show them the old fashioned way and it clicks with them.

 

[Nibor]

SOH-CAH-TOA and BODMAS are your friends

 

[Nibor]

I struggled at first until I realised the default setting on the calculator app I was using was Radians lol

 

[Profpointy]

SOH-CAH-TOA and BODMAS are your friends

BODMAS is really important or you'll simply get the wrong answers.

Don't think I've used trig much though.
That said, my Uncle whose hobby was clockmaking was making a Harrison (he of longitude fame) Grasshopper Escapement - but he couldn't quite remember the necessary trigonometry to work out the angles / lengths. I did feel quite smug when I was able to come up with a general solution to the angles and lengths and 6 months later see the working mechanism - which was a thing of beauty it must be said.

 

[winjim]

I like to work things out with a pencil.

How does an engineer pick their nose?

 

[biggs682]

How does an engineer pick their nose?

carefully

 

[winjim]

carefully

How do porcupines make love?

 

[subaqua]

How does an engineer pick their nose?

Generally from a catalogue to get the one he needs for the job and then the commercial dept buy what they think he needs .

 

[ColinJ]

I was trying to solve a quadratic equation while riding up a 20% climb the other day ...

I remembered that if a*x*x + b*x + c = 0 then x = (-b +or- Sqrt (b*b - 4*a*c))/(2*a).

Unfortunately, I couldn't calculate (-2.976 +or- Sqrt (2.976*2.976 - 4*11.281*37.336))/(2*11.281) in my head while grovelling uphill!

 

[Rezillo]

In my post-employment years, I now do archaeological geophysics for a community group. This involves setting out large numbers of 30m survey grids across fields and keeping the overall grid all square and aligned. A grasp of trigonometry has come in extremely useful for that!

 

[ANT 666]

SOH-CAH-TOA and BODMAS???? must have been away that day.(school, what a week that was!)

 

[Wafer]

BODMAS is really important or you'll simply get the wrong answers.

Or you might have several, different, correct answers.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Never thought I'd ever use trigonometry, then had to write a conservatory roof design program when I started my last job.