   simple math question
  Given the following situation:http://home.online.no/~bj-bakke/angle.pnglets say I have a x,y cordinate system and only have an angle ("a"). Is there any way I can get the x/y ratio from this? That is; on a given x with angle a, what is y?on a given y with angle a, what is x?The corner/angle is always at x=0, y=0   
  Sure. If you think of what you've got as a right triangle, with your y as the segment opposite your angle, and your x as adjacent to your angle, this is just simple geometry.sin(a) = opposite / hypotenusecos(a) = adjacent / hypotenusetan(a) = opposite / adjacentIn this case, tangent is your best bet. Just solve for whichever you're missing.   ;  Using the general counterclockwise angle from the positive x-axis what you want is x/y = cotangent(a), which is the same as x/y =1/tan(a).   