Trigonometric functions are used to solve real-world problems involving angles of elevation, depression, and inclination. Examples include finding the angle of depression from a security camera to a door, calculating the length of an escalator given its angle of elevation and vertical rise, and determining the height of a flagpole based on the length of its shadow and the sun's angle. Trigonometry can also be applied to find unknown sides and angles in three-dimensional figures, as well as to calculate the area of a triangle when only two sides and the included angle are known.