Chapter 5: Problem 48
Find (a) the reference number for each value of \(t\) and (b) the terminal point determined by \(t\). $$t=\frac{31 \pi}{6}$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
Reference angle: \(30^\circ\). Terminal point: \((-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}, -\frac{1}{2})\).
Step by step solution
01
Convert to Degrees
Start by converting the given radian measure \( t = \frac{31\pi}{6} \) into degrees. Use the conversion formula \( degrees = radians \times \frac{180}{\pi} \). \[ t = \frac{31\pi}{6} \times \frac{180}{\pi} = \frac{31 \times 180}{6} = 930 \text{ degrees} \]
02
Determine Coterminal Angle
Find the smallest positive coterminal angle by subtracting \(360\) degrees until the angle is in the 0 to 360-degree range. \[ 930 - 360 \times 2 = 930 - 720 = 210 \text{ degrees} \] Therefore, \( 210 \text{ degrees} \) is coterminal with \( 930 \text{ degrees} \).
03
Find the Reference Angle
The reference angle is the acute angle formed with the x-axis. Since \(210\) degrees is in the third quadrant, subtract \(180\) from it. \[ 210 - 180 = 30 \text{ degrees} \] So, the reference angle is \(30\text{ degrees}\).
04
Determine Terminal Point
Use the reference angle to determine the terminal point on the unit circle for \( t = \frac{31\pi}{6} \). In the third quadrant, the cosine and sine are both negative. Thus, the terminal point is given by \( (-\cos(30^\circ), -\sin(30^\circ)) = \left(-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}, -\frac{1}{2}\right) \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Reference Angle
A reference angle is the smallest angle that a given angle makes with the x-axis. It helps to simplify trigonometric calculations and always falls between 0° and 90°. In the context of the exercise, the reference angle is found after identifying which quadrant the angle is in.
We determine the reference angle by considering the angle's position:
We determine the reference angle by considering the angle's position:
- If the angle is in the first quadrant (0° to 90°), the angle itself is the reference angle.
- If it's in the second quadrant (90° to 180°), subtract the angle from 180°.
- In the third quadrant (180° to 270°), as seen in our problem where 210° is in third quadrant, subtract 180° from the angle.
- If it's in the fourth quadrant (270° to 360°), subtract the angle from 360°.
Coterminal Angles
Coterminal angles are angles that share the same terminal side, meaning they differ by full circles. If you keep adding or subtracting 360° (a full circle) to an angle, the resulting angles are coterminal.
For example, angles like 30°, 390° (30° + 360°), and -330° (30° - 360°) are all coterminal because they end at the same point on a circle. This concept is useful to find an equivalent angle within the standard 0° to 360° range for any angle.
In our exercise, we started with an angle of 930° after conversion from radians. To find a positive coterminal angle, we subtracted 360° twice (720° in total) and ended up with 210°. This calculation shows how manipulating angles in terms of coterminality allows us to simplify angles to a standard form that is often easier to analyze.
For example, angles like 30°, 390° (30° + 360°), and -330° (30° - 360°) are all coterminal because they end at the same point on a circle. This concept is useful to find an equivalent angle within the standard 0° to 360° range for any angle.
In our exercise, we started with an angle of 930° after conversion from radians. To find a positive coterminal angle, we subtracted 360° twice (720° in total) and ended up with 210°. This calculation shows how manipulating angles in terms of coterminality allows us to simplify angles to a standard form that is often easier to analyze.
Unit Circle
The unit circle is a circle with a radius of 1 centered at the origin of a coordinate plane. It serves as a fundamental tool in trigonometry to determine the values of trigonometric functions for any angle. Every angle corresponds to a specific point on this circle, allowing direct computation of sine and cosine values.
Think of the unit circle as a way to visualize angles beyond just their degrees or radians. For instance, angles of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° hit significant points on the circle, but smaller divisions like 30° have known coordinates too.
Think of the unit circle as a way to visualize angles beyond just their degrees or radians. For instance, angles of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° hit significant points on the circle, but smaller divisions like 30° have known coordinates too.
- At an angle of 30°, the coordinates are (\(rac{ ext{√3}}{2}\), \(rac{1}{2}\)). In the third quadrant, both these values change signs due to the negative values of sine and cosine, transforming them to (-\(rac{ ext{√3}}{2}\), -\(rac{1}{2}\)).With this insight, terminal points for our \(t = rac{31 ext{π}}{6}\) are easily found using the reference angle of 30° on the unit circle.