Ohio State MATH 1149: Trigonometry

MATH 1149 covers trigonometric functions, identities, equations, and applications — the trig half of the precalculus preparation for MATH 1151. It's the standard route for students whose placement score clears algebra but not trig, and it runs every term at high enrollment.

Fennie is independent and not affiliated with The Ohio State University. This is an unofficial study guide.

Build my MATH 1149 study plan

What makes it hard

Trig is identity-heavy, and the common exams expect you to verify and manipulate identities rather than just evaluate functions — that's a proof-like skill most students haven't practiced since geometry. The unit circle has to be genuinely memorized, because exam pacing leaves no time to re-derive values, and graphing transformations of sine and cosine punish anyone who learned the shapes by recognition instead of construction.

What you'll cover

• The unit circle and radian measure
• Graphs of trigonometric functions
• Trigonometric identities and verification
• Solving trigonometric equations
• Inverse trigonometric functions
• Law of Sines and Law of Cosines

The MATH 1149 study guide

How to study for Ohio State MATH 1149, step by step.

1
Own the unit circle in week one
Every later topic in MATH 1149 assumes instant recall of unit-circle values. Drill it daily until sin and cos at the standard angles are reflexes, not calculations.
2
Verify identities on paper, repeatedly
Identity verification is the exam skill students practice least. Work through dozens of verifications by hand, writing every step, until you recognize the standard moves on sight.
3
Graph by construction, not recognition
Build sine and cosine transformations from amplitude, period, and shift every time. Exams ask for graphs you haven't seen, and recognition-based studying fails exactly there.
4
Use Carmen quizzes as a weekly diagnostic
Every quiz miss is a topic that will reappear on the midterm. Rework misses the same week instead of letting them stack.
5
Keep the recall fresh with Fennie
Upload your MATH 1149 materials and Fennie builds a Daily Plan that keeps unit-circle drills and identity practice on a daily cadence paced to your exam dates, with flashcards generated from your actual notes. Free to start.
Start my MATH 1149 plan free

How Fennie helps with MATH 1149

Fennie's Daily Plans put MATH 1149's memorization layer — the unit circle, the identities — on a daily drill schedule so it's automatic before each midterm. Use chat to walk through identity verifications step by step when you're stuck mid-proof, and quiz yourself on equation-solving with practice generated from your own course materials.

FAQ

Is MATH 1149 hard at Ohio State?

It's harder than students expect for a precalc-level course. Identity verification is a new kind of thinking for most people, and the exams move fast enough that unit-circle values have to be memorized cold. Daily short practice handles it; weekly cramming doesn't.

Do I need MATH 1149 before MATH 1151?

If your placement score puts you below calculus-ready, yes — 1149 (or 1150, which combines algebra and trig) is the standard path. Calculus uses trig constantly from the chain rule onward, so skipping shaky trig prep tends to resurface as a calculus problem.

What's the difference between MATH 1149 and MATH 1150?

1149 is trigonometry alone, for students whose college algebra is already solid. 1150 is the full precalculus course covering both algebra and trig in one five-credit semester. Your placement score and advisor determine which fits.

Pass MATH 1149 with a plan, not a cram

Upload your MATH 1149 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.

Get started free

More Ohio State courses

MATH 1151 — Calculus I

MATH 1151 is Ohio State's standard first-semester calculus course, covering limits, derivatives, and an introduction to integration. It is required for most STEM, pre-med, and business-adjacent majors, which makes it one of the highest-enrollment courses on campus, taught in large lectures with recitation sections.

MATH 1148 — College Algebra

MATH 1148 is Ohio State's college algebra course — functions, polynomials, rationals, exponentials, and logarithms — and the on-ramp to precalculus and the calculus sequence. Thousands of students take it every year, many placed there by the math placement test rather than by choice.

MATH 1172 — Engineering Mathematics A

MATH 1172 is the accelerated second calculus course for engineering majors, combining integration techniques, sequences and series, and an introduction to multivariable ideas into one five-credit semester. It follows MATH 1151 and is a prerequisite gate for most of the College of Engineering's sophomore curriculum.

MATH 1150 — Precalculus

MATH 1150 is Ohio State's combined precalculus course, covering college algebra and trigonometry in a single five-credit semester as the direct on-ramp to MATH 1151. It's the compressed alternative to taking MATH 1148 and 1149 separately, which makes the pace its defining feature.