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Glite Dictionary
TOA-CAH-SOH

TOA-CAH-SOH

9.9
A short phrase that helps you remember which triangle sides go with sine, cosine, and tangent
  • noun
translation icon : TOA-CAH-SOH
  • Some students find TOA-CAH-SOH a helpful way to recall which sides correspond to each function.

Examples

  • Whenever I do triangle problems, I always repeat TOA-CAH-SOH to myself before starting.

  • I learned TOA-CAH-SOH in my math class.

  • My teacher wrote TOA-CAH-SOH on the board to help us remember the formulas for trigonometry.

  • Can you explain TOA-CAH-SOH to me?

  • My teacher wrote TOA-CAH-SOH on the board to help us remember the definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent.

  • Some students find TOA-CAH-SOH a useful mnemonic for recalling the ratios in trigonometry.

  • Whenever I solve trigonometry problems, I always repeat TOA-CAH-SOH to ensure I use the correct formulas.

Surface Forms

TOA-CAH-SOH singular
TOA-CAH-SOHs plural

Etymology

The word TOA-CAH-SOH is a simple classroom memory trick: each part stands for the first letters of the trigonometry rules — TOA for 'Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent', CAH for 'Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse', and SOH for 'Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse'. So, saying TOA-CAH-SOH helps you quickly remember which side goes where in a right triangle.