How to Do a Tangent on Your Calculator
The tangent of an angle is used to calculate the rise for a stair step if you already know the tread width and the elevation or stair angle. If you know the width of the tread is 10 inches and the stair angle is 34 degrees, the rise of the step can be easily calculated. To do this, you will need a scientific calculator. If a scientific calculator is not available, you can use the calculator utility that is included with Windows.
Instructions
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Click the "Start" button and then go to "All Programs." Select the option for "Accessories" and then click the option for "Calculator."
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Click the "View" drop-down menu and select the option for "Scientific." Verify that the radio button for "Degrees" is selected.
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Click the button for "3" and the button for "4" to enter the number 34. Click the "Tan" button to obtain the tangent of 34, which is 0.675.
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Multiply the tangent of 34 by the tread width. For the example, the equation is X = 10(.675). The result is the rise of the step.
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Tips & Warnings
Calculating the tangent without a scientific calculator is done by dividing the height by the length of a known angle.
