Chapter 5: Problem 13
Short Answer
Expert verified
\(\cos(A/2)\) is negative.
Step by step solution
01
Understanding the Arc
The problem specifies that the angle \(A\) is in the range \(270^{\circ}<A<360^{\circ}\). This indicates that the angle \(A\) is in the fourth quadrant of the unit circle.
02
Half-Angle Range
Since \(A\) is between \(270^{\circ}\) and \(360^{\circ}\), the half of \(A\), which is \(\frac{A}{2}\), will be between \(135^{\circ}\) and \(180^{\circ}\) (as half the angle will halve the bounds of the angle). This puts \(\frac{A}{2}\) in the second quadrant of the unit circle.
03
Cosine in the Second Quadrant
Knowing that \(\frac{A}{2}\) is in the second quadrant is crucial because, in this quadrant, the cosine of any angle is negative. Therefore, \(\cos\left(\frac{A}{2}\right)\) will be negative.
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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 fundamental concept in trigonometry that represents all possible angle measures in a plane. It is a circle with a radius of 1, centered at the origin (0,0) in the coordinate plane.
depending on which quadrant the angle falls in.
- Angles are measured starting from the positive x-axis and rotating counterclockwise around the circle.
- Each point on the circle relates to an angle and corresponds to coordinates \((\cos(\theta), \sin(\theta))\).
- This method visualizes trigonometric functions, where the x-coordinate is the cosine of the angle, and the y-coordinate is the sine.
depending on which quadrant the angle falls in.
Quadrants
Quadrants refer to the four sections of the coordinate plane divided by the x and y axes. Starting from the positive x-axis, the quadrants are numbered as follows:
where \(\cos\) is positive, making it crucial to determine the behavior of \(\cos(A/2)\) in the next step.
- First Quadrant: \(0^\circ \text{ to } 90^\circ\) - Cosine and sine values are both positive.
- Second Quadrant: \(90^\circ \text{ to } 180^\circ\) - Sine is positive, cosine is negative.
- Third Quadrant: \(180^\circ \text{ to } 270^\circ\) - Cosine and sine values are both negative.
- Fourth Quadrant: \(270^\circ \text{ to } 360^\circ\) - Cosine is positive, sine is negative.
where \(\cos\) is positive, making it crucial to determine the behavior of \(\cos(A/2)\) in the next step.
Half-Angle Formulas
Half-angle formulas are instrumental for calculating the trigonometric values of half an angle. They help express trigonometric functions of half angles in terms of the original angle:
In this quadrant, \(\cos\left(\frac{A}{2}\right)\) is always negative, as determined by the characteristics inherent to this quadrant.
- For cosine, the half-angle formula is \[ \cos\left(\frac{A}{2}\right) = \pm\sqrt{\frac{1+\cos A}{2}} \]
- This formula's positive or negative outcome depends directly on the angle's position in the unit circle.
In this quadrant, \(\cos\left(\frac{A}{2}\right)\) is always negative, as determined by the characteristics inherent to this quadrant.