# Math Help - How important is it to memorize function values of basic angles?

1. ## How important is it to memorize function values of basic angles?

So, I'm pretty far in the semester ( actually was three weeks ahead of class and took all that time studying for my midterm ) and have come to a point in my book where it's assuming I've memorized function values for 30, 45, 60, and 90 degree angles as well as the measure of those angles in radians, etc.

I've just been, whenever I come across the problems, letting my calculator give me values for them. ( It gives me exact values, love my TI-89 )

I never memorized multiplication tables nor any of the brute-force memorization stuff. On my recent midterm for the first page I re-built the pythagorean identities from a^2+b^2=c^2 and my linear and angular speed formulas.

How important will it be for me to have memorized the function values of these angles later on in calculus and such?

2. as a calculus and physics teacher, I would say very important.

3. I rarely remembered them, I just found it easier to draw the special triangles and derive them from said triangles

4. when i took trig it was very important to remember it. and u need to remember the six trig functions.

5. Okay.

( flexus, I didn't mean the functions themselves, but that $sin(45) = \sqrt(2)/2 and cos(45) = \sqrt(2)/2$ and so on and so forth.

I've been just having my calculator give me the values each time. I suppose eventually I'll memorize them, but I'll definitely pay more attention now.