Last modified 15 July 2003 by firstname.lastname@example.org
Exam 2 Review
I might be adding more stuff to this page up until the exam, so you might want to check back occasionally.
The exam is cumulative, and the same rules apply as last time, so you should read the previous review sheet again. Although old topics can show up on this test, it will be focused more on what we have learned since the previous exam:
As before, the test will be a mixture of three types of problems:
- functions, graphs, inverses
- what is an inverse function, when does it exist, what does it look like?
- inverse trig functions, in detail
- sum formulae - especially for sine and cosine
- difference formulae
- double-angle formulae
- half-angle formulae
- for example, you should now be able to compute sin(pi/12) in multiple ways
- solving trigonometric equations
- using inverse sine and cosine, but recognizing that these usually give you just half of the solutions
- using trig identities to simplify before you solve
- finding all of the solutions, and then the fundamental solutions among them
- law of sines, law of cosines
- knowing which one to use in solving a given triangle
- understanding the ambiguous case
Pages 225-226 have a big list of trig identities. Memorize the ones you need, and figure out how to quickly derive the other ones from the ones you've memorized.
- short questions that test whether you know basic definitions and concepts
- longer problems involving, say, significant algebra
- story problems
As always, the best way to study is to do lots of problems. (Chapter 8 has a lot...) Do as many as you can. Make up your own problems. Try to make up story problems that use some of the formulae we've learned. Try out your problems on your classmates. Ask me for help at the review session.