Field Guide/Fix a problem/Wrong trig answer
Core3 min

Fix an incorrect trigonometric answer

A sine, cosine, tangent or inverse-trig result is nowhere near the expected value.

01

Press these keys

MODEDEGREE / RADIAN

Step 1 of 2. Press MODE.

02

Walkthrough

  1. 1
    Check angle mode

    Match DEGREE or RADIAN to the question.

  2. 2
    Check inverse

    Use 2nd before SIN/COS/TAN only when finding an angle from a ratio.

  3. 3
    Check all solutions

    A principal inverse result may have symmetric or periodic alternatives in the interval.

03

Worked example

sin(30) displays −0.988… instead of 0.5.

AnswerSwitch to DEGREE for a 30° input.