Sin(x), Cos(x) and Tan(x) are very useful functions and can be used to solve algerbraic problems where the aim is to find the size of an angle or a size.
Sin(x) = Opposite/Hypotenuse
Cos(x) = Adjacent/Hypotenuse
Tan(x) = Opposite/Adjacent
these are the equations you must rearrange to solve the problems. for example if you're looking to find the length of hypotenuse side and have the angle, x and the length of the adjacent of side you rearrange the equation to be:
hypotenuse =adjacent/cos(x)
This can be confusing at first but can become second nature very quickly if you work through lots of problems.
A great way of remembering the equations is:
SOHCAHTOA