Chapter 1: Problem 19
Evaluate the following expressions by drawing the unit circle and the appropriate right triangle. Use a calculator only to check your work. All angles are in radians. $$\cot (-13 \pi / 3)$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
Answer: cot(-13π/3) = 1/√3
Step by step solution
01
Find the reference angle and its position on the unit circle
To find the reference angle, we need to express the angle \((-13\pi/3)\) in a range of \([0, 2\pi)\). This can be done by adding multiples of \(2\pi\) to the angle until it falls within this range.
$$(-13\pi/3) + 8\pi = (-13\pi/3) + (24\pi/3) = 11\pi/3.$$
Now we need to find which quadrant the angle is in:
$$11\pi/3 = 3\pi + 2\pi/3$$
The angle \(11\pi/3\) is in the fourth quadrant and has a reference angle of \(2\pi/3\).
02
Construct the right triangle
Draw a unit circle and locate the point where the angle \(11\pi/3\) intersects the circle. Since \(11\pi/3\) is in the fourth quadrant, its right triangle will have its adjacent side on the positive x-axis and the opposite side going downwards on the negative y-axis.
Using the reference angle \(2\pi/3\), we can find the coordinates of the point of intersection (P) between the terminal side of the angle and the unit circle using sine and cosine functions.
$$x = \cos(2\pi/3) = -1/2$$
$$y = \sin(2\pi/3) = \sqrt{3}/2$$
Since the angle is in the fourth quadrant, the y-coordinate will be negative.
So, the coordinates of point P are:
$$P = (-1/2, -\sqrt{3}/2)$$
03
Use the cotangent function to find the value of \(\cot(-13\pi/3)\)
Recall that the cotangent function is defined as the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side.
In our case, the adjacent side has a length of \(1/2\) and the opposite side has a length of \(\sqrt{3}/2\). So, the cotangent function for the angle \(11\pi/3\) (which is equivalent to \(-13\pi/3\)) is:
$$\cot(-13 \pi / 3) = \frac{1/2}{\sqrt{3}/2} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$$
The expression for \(\cot(-13\pi/3)\) is:
$$\cot(-13\pi/3) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$$
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Unit Circle
The unit circle is a key tool in trigonometry. It is a circle with a radius of 1 unit, centered at the origin of a coordinate plane.
By using this circle, we can easily understand and visualize the trigonometric functions.
By using this circle, we can easily understand and visualize the trigonometric functions.
- Each point on the unit circle corresponds to an angle in radians from the positive x-axis.
- The coordinates of each point are in the form \( (\cos(\theta), \sin(\theta)) \).
- The circle allows us to visualize angles beyond \(2\pi\) by wrapping them around the circle.
- Negative angles are measured clockwise from the positive x-axis.
Cotangent Function
The cotangent function gives the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side in a right triangle, which can be built using the coordinates of the unit circle.
It is defined as \( \cot(\theta) = \frac{\cos(\theta)}{\sin(\theta)} \).
It is defined as \( \cot(\theta) = \frac{\cos(\theta)}{\sin(\theta)} \).
- In terms of the unit circle, cotangent uses the x-coordinate (cosine) and the y-coordinate (sine).
- Cotangent is undefined when \(\sin(\theta) = 0\) because division by zero is not possible.
- With \( P = (-1/2, -\sqrt{3}/2) \), the cotangent is \( \frac{-1/2}{-\sqrt{3}/2} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \).
Reference Angle
Reference angles are useful in finding angles' positions on the unit circle. They help us determine the angle's value in terms of commonly known angles like \(\pi/3\) or \(\pi/4\).
Here's what you need to know:
Here's what you need to know:
- A reference angle is the acute angle an angle makes with the x-axis.
- It can always be found between 0 and \(\pi/2\), or between 0 and \(90^\circ\) for degree measures.
- Here, that reference angle is \( 2\pi/3 \), located in the fourth quadrant.