What does "Toa" in "SohCahToa" refer to?

1 answer

In the mnemonic "SohCahToa," which is used to remember the definitions of the three primary trigonometric ratios in relation to a right triangle, "Toa" refers to "Tangent." Specifically, "Toa" stands for:

  • Tangent
  • Opposite
  • Adjacent

This means that the tangent of an angle in a right triangle is equal to the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side. So, in terms of the trigonometric ratio, "Toa" represents the relationship:

\[ \tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{Opposite}}{\text{Adjacent}} \]