Difference Between Algebra and Trigonometry

Algebra vs Trigonometry

Algebra and trigonometry form part of the Mathematics family. Both of them have different areas of concern when solving problems but are very significant in their own right the same time. Today algebra and trigonometry are taught in schools as basic subject requirement for higher level mathematics later on.

Algebra

There are five branches of mathematics recognized today, namely: foundations, analysis, geometry, applied mathematics and algebra. Algebra is the branch of mathematics that deals with relations between terms, polynomials, equations or algebraic structures, and the construction and concepts that arise from them. Understanding algebra requires learning elementary algebra where it introduces variables usually represented by letters x and y which correspond to “unknown” numbers. The relationship of the variables is expressed through the formulation of equations.

Trigonometry

In a broader sense, trigonometry is the study of triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between sides. It is more advanced than algebra as it uses ones knowledge in algebra before learning it. Trigonometry deals with more complicated formulas. But no matter how complicated these formulas may be, trigonometry proves beneficial to architecture, science, astronomy, navigation, and a lot more as it has applications in both pure mathematics and applied science.

Difference between Algebra and Trigonometry

Algebra and trigonometry deal with different areas of mathematics, so this basically makes them independently separate from each other. True enough, one cannot understand trigonometry if he doesn’t know algebra, making algebra a prerequisite to trigonometry. Algebra deals with knowing the value of unknown variables and functional relationships, while trigonometry touches on triangles, sides and angles and the relationship between them. Algebra is more on polynomial equations, x and y while trigonometry more on sine, cosine, tangent, and degrees. Trigonometry is much more complicated than algebra but algebra has its uses in our daily lives, be it calculating distance from point to another or determining the volume of milk in a milk container. Trigonometry has its hands full more on different branches of science and technology, making contributions to different fields for future advancement.

There are reasons why algebra and trigonometry are being taught in schools, because without even realizing it we are actually taking part in solving problems and witnessing events that use both of them.