How do you find tan (pi/3)?

1 Answer
Oct 24, 2014

Knowledge of special triangles is needed to solve this by hand.

pi/3 is 180^circ/3=60^circ

One of the special right triangles is 30^circ60^circ90^circ where the sides have lengths with the following ratios.

30^circ => x
60^circ => xsqrt(3)
90^circ => 2x

If we let x=1 then the side lengths are 1, sqrt(3), and 2 respectively.

tan (theta) = (opposite)/(adjacent) = y/x

tan(pi/3)=sqrt(3)/1=sqrt(3)