8-1 Angle Measure and Rotation

Unit 8 Trigonometric and Circular Functions

Concepts and Objectives

Arc Measurement and Rotation (Obj. #26)

Convert between degrees and radians

Calculate the length of an arc intercepted by a given

angle

Calculate the area of a sector
Radian Measure

Up until now, we have measured angles in degrees.
Another unit of measure that mathematicians use is
called radian measure. y

An angle with its vertex at

r
the center of a circle that
intercepts an arc on the θ
circle equal in length to the r x
radius of the circle has a
measure of 1 radian.
θ = 1 radian
Radian Measure

You should recall that the circumference of a circle is
given by C = 2πr, where r is the radius of the circle. An
angle of 360°, which corresponds to a complete circle,
intercepts an arc equal to the circumference.
360° = 2π radians
180° = π radians
π 180°
1° = radians 1 radian =
180 π

If no unit of angle measure is specified, then the

angle is understood to be measured in radians.
Radians and Degrees

Converting between radians and degrees is just like
converting between any other type of units:

Put the unit you are converting from on the bottom,
and the unit you are converting to on the top.

Example: Convert 120° to radians.

120° π 120π 2π
= = radians
1 180° 180 3
Radians and Degrees

Example: Convert 57° 48' to radians
48
57°48' = 57 + = 57.8°
60
 π  57.8π
57.8°  = = 0.321π ≈ 1.01 radians
 180°  180

3π

Example: Convert radians to degrees
5

3π  180 
  = 3(36 ) = 108°
5 π 
Unit Circle
π
2π 90° = π
120° = 2 60° =
3 3
3π π
135° = 45° =
4 4 π
5π 30° =
150° =
6 6

180° = π 0° = 0
360° = 2π

7π 11π
210° = 330° =
6 6
5π 7π
225° = 315° =
4 5π 4
4π 300° =
240° = 3π 3
3 270° =
2
Arc Length of a Circle

The length of an arc is proportional to the measure of its
central angle.

s
The length s of the arc on
a circle of radius r by a θ
•
central angle measuring θ r
is given by
s = rθ
(θ must be in radians)
Arc Length of a Circle

Example: Find the length to the nearest hundredth of
the arc intercepted by the given central angle and radius.
5π
r = 1.38 ft, θ =
6
 5π 
s = (1.38 )   ≈ 3.61 ft
 6 

Remember—the angle measure must be in radians. If

you are given an angle measure in degrees, you must
convert it into radians.
Arc Length of a Circle

Example: Two gears are adjusted so that the smaller
gear drives the larger one. If the smaller gear rotates
through an angle of 225°, through how many degrees
will the larger gear rotate?
5π 25π
225° = = 4.8θ
4 8
2.5 cm 4.8 cm 125π
s = rθ θ= radians
192
 
5 π
= 2.5    125π  180° 
 4  =  
 192  π 
25π
= cm ≈ 117°
8
Area of a Sector of a Circle

Recall that a sector is the portion of the interior of the
circle intercepted by a central angle. The area of the
sector is proportional to the area of the circle.

The area A of a sector of a

circle of radius r and θ
•
central angle θ is given by r
1 2
A= r θ
2
(θ must be in radians)
Area of a Sector of a Circle

Example: Find the area of a sector of a circle having the
given radius r and central angle θ.
2π
r = 59.8 km, θ =
3
2  2π 
1
( )
A = 59.8   = 3745 km2
2  3 
Homework

College Algebra (brown book)

Page 565: 10, 15, 25-65 (×5s), 68, 71, 75-90 (×5s),
120, 124, 126

Turn in: 30, 50, 68, 80, 88, 90, 126