The reciprocal trigonometric ratios: cosecant
It is said that there are six ratios possible for the lengths of the sides of a
right triangle. You have learned about the sine (sin), cosine (cos), and tangent (tan)
ratios. The three other trigonometric ratios are their reciprocals.
Cosecant (csc): is the reciprocal of sine, i.e. the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to the length of the opposite side.
| csc θ |
= |
_1_
sinθ |
= |
hyp
opp |
|
|
 |
| Find the value of cscB |
|
 |
First find the length of the hypotenuse. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, or recognizing the Pythagorean Triple 5-12-13, the length of the hypotenuse is 13.
