Sometimes in problem-solving you only need the sign (plus or minus) of a trigonometric value—not its size.
With three already-studied concepts, you have access to the signs of all the trigonometric functions, in all the
quadrants:
These concepts are reviewed in-a-nutshell here, for your convenience.
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By definition, $\,\cos \theta\,$ and $\,\sin\theta\,$ give the $\,x\,$ and $\,y\,$ values
(respectively) of points on the unit circle, as shown at right. It follows that:
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By definition, $\displaystyle\,\tan\theta :=\frac{\sin\theta}{\cos\theta}\,.$ Therefore:
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The (optimistic!) memory device answers the question
in quadrant I, and then proceed counterclockwise. |
![]() This memory device answers the question: Where are the sine, cosine, and tangent POSITIVE? |
The reciprocal of a number retains the sign of the original number. Therefore, in all the quadrants:
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On this exercise, you will not key in your answer. However, you can check to see if your answer is correct. |
PROBLEM TYPES:
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