Lecture 14

Trigonometric Function
➢ A ray, or half-line, is that portion of a line that starts at a point V on the line
and extends indefinitely in one direction.
➢ The starting point V of a ray is called its vertex. See Figure 1

V Ray Line
Figure 1
➢ If two rays are drawn with a common vertex, they form an angle.
➢ We call one ray of an angle the initial side and the other the terminal side.
➢ The angle formed is identified by showing the direction and amount of
rotation from the initial side to the terminal side.
➢ If the rotation is in the counterclockwise direction, the angle is positive; if
the rotation is clockwise, the angle is negative. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

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 ➢ Lowercase Greek letters, such as 𝛼(alpha), 𝛽 (beta), 𝛾 (gamma), and 𝜃 (theta),
will often be used to denote angles.
➢ An angle 𝜃 is said to be in standard position if its vertex is at the origin of
a rectangular coordinate system and its initial side coincides with the
positive x-axis. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

Quadrantal and Reference Angles

Quadrantal Angle
➢ When an angle 𝜃 is in standard position,
✓ the terminal side will lie either in a quadrant, in which case we say that
𝜃 lies in that quadrant, or
✓ the terminal side will lie on the x-axis or the y-axis, in which case we
say that 𝜃 is a quadrantal angle.

➢ For example,
✓ the angle in Figure (a) lies in quadrant II,
✓ the angle in Figure (b) lies in quadrant I,
✓ the angle in Figure (c) lies in quadrant III,
✓ the angle in Figure (d) lies in quadrant IV and
✓ the angle in Figure (e) is a quadrantal angle.

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Reference Angle
➢ The reference angle is the angle that the given angle makes with the x-axis.
➢ Regardless of where the angle ends (that is, regardless of the location of the
terminal side of the angle), the reference angle measures the closest distance
of that terminal side to the x-axis. See figures a~d.

a b

c
d

Quadrantal Angle

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Measurement of Angles
➢ We measure angles by determining the amount of rotation needed for the
initial side to become coincident with the terminal side.
➢ The two commonly used measures for angles are degrees and radians.

Degrees and radians measure angles

➢ Degrees and radians are both ways to write out angle measurements.

Degrees
➢ The angle formed by rotating the initial side exactly once in the
counterclockwise direction until it coincides with itself (1 revolution) is said
to measure 360 degrees, abbreviated 360°.
1
✓ One degree, 1°, is revolution.
360
𝟏
➢ A right angle is an angle that measures 90°, or revolution; a straight
𝟒
𝟏
angle is an angle that measures 180°, or revolution.
𝟐

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Convert between Decimals and Degrees, Minutes, Seconds
Measures for Angles
➢ Although subdivisions of a degree may be obtained by using decimals, we
also may use the notion of minutes and seconds.
1
➢ One minute, denoted by 1′ , is defined as degree.
60
′′ 1
➢ One second, denoted by 1 , is defined as minute, or equivalently,
60
1
degree.
3600
➢ An angle of, say, 30 degrees, 40 minutes, 10 seconds is written compactly as
300 40′ 10′′ . To summarize

1 counterclockwise revolution = 360°

1° = 60′ 1′ =60′ ′

Example: Converting between Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, and Decimal Form

(a) Convert 500 6′ 21′′ to a decimal in degrees. Round the answer to four decimal
places.
(b) Convert 21.256° to the 𝐷0 𝑀′ 𝑆 ′′ form. Round the answer to the nearest second.
Solution:
1 0 1 ′ 1 1 0 1 0
(a) Because 1′ = ( ) and 1′′ = ( ) = ( . ) = ( ) we convert as
60 60 60 60 3600
follows:
500 6′ 21′′ = 500 + 6′ + 21′′
1 0 1 0
= 500 + 6 ( ) + 21 ( )
60 3600

= 500 +.10 + 0.0058°

= 50.10580
(b) We proceed as follows:
21.2560 = 210 + .2560
= 210 + (.256)(60)′

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 = 210 + 15.36′
= 210 + 15′ + 0.36′
= 210 + 15′ + (0.36)(60)′′
= 210 + 15′ + 21. 6′′
= 210 15′ 22′′
Radians
➢ A central angle is a positive angle whose vertex is at the center of a circle.
The rays of a central angle subtend (intersect) an arc on the circle.
➢ If the radius of the circle is r and the length of the arc subtended by the
central angle is also r, then the measure of the angle is 1 radian.
➢ A radian is the amount an angle has to open such that the length of the section of
the circle's circumference it captures is equal to the length of the radius.

✓ For a circle of radius 1, the rays of a central angle with measure 1 radian
subtend an arc of length 1.
✓ For a circle of radius 3, the rays of a central angle with measure 1 radian
subtend an arc of length 3.
➢ There are 2π radians in a whole circle, which means that half a circle (180°) is
equal to π radians.
➢ This comparison means that:
✓ 3600=2π radians,
✓ 1800=π radians,
✓ 900=π/2 radians,
✓ 600=π/3 radians,
✓ 450=π/4 radians... and so on.

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