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I use trig every few years when buying a tv. Tv specs always list diagonal but rarely horizontal and vertical which is needed for knowing how a TV will fit in a space.
I'm trying to figure out how you need trig for that. Just the Pythagorean theorem and ratios seem sufficient to me.
Ratios can be used in trig -- if it's 1.5 times as long as it is tall, tan(\theta) = \frac{2}{3}, which then allows you to find the lengths of the other two sides easily so long as you have a calculator.
Right, but why bring theta into it at all? TV screens are as a hypotenuse (a²+b²) with a fixed ratio (a/b=16/9), so you just need to solve for a and b.
You don't have to, but it seems perfectly easy since you don't have to write anything down to solve it. c*sin(arctan(b/a)) gives b, and c*cos(arctan(b/a)) gives a. I'm not disputing that you can do it without, but I don't think it's necessarily any quicker or easier.
If it works it works. I just never would have thought to do it that way.
I am trying to figure out why you'd even need that.
The measurements of the product is usually written in the tech spec.
I mean unless you're able to do it in your head in less than a minute, bringing a tape measure would probably be faster and easier.
Or just check the spec on the box/website.