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The Unit Circle (DP IB Maths: AI HL)
Revision Note
Defining Sin, Cos and Tan
What is the unit circle?
- The unit circle is a circle with radius 1 and centre (0, 0)
- Angles are always measured from the positive x-axis and turn:
- anticlockwise for positive angles
- clockwise for negative angles
- It can be used to calculate trig values as a coordinate point (x, y) on the circle
- Trig values can be found by making a right triangle with the radius as the hypotenuse
- θ is the angle measured anticlockwise from the positive x-axis
- The x-axis will always be adjacent to the angle, θ
- SOHCAHTOA can be used to find the values of sinθ, cosθ and tanθ easily
- As the radius is 1 unit
- the x coordinate gives the value of cosθ
- the y coordinate gives the value of sinθ
- As the origin is one of the end points - dividing the y coordinate by the x coordinate gives the gradient
- the gradient of the line gives the value of tanθ
- It allows us to calculate sin, cos and tan for angles greater than 90° (rad)
How is the unit circle used to construct the graphs of sine and cosine?
- On the unit circle the y-coordinates give the value of sine
- Plot the y-coordinate from the unit circle as the y-coordinate on a trig graph for x-coordinates of θ = 0, π/2, π, 3π/2 and 2π
- Join these points up using a smooth curve
- To get a clearer idea of the shape of the curve the points for x-coordinates of θ = π/4, 3π/4, 5π/4 and 7π/4 could also be plotted
- On the unit circle the x-coordinates give the value of cosine
- Plot the x-coordinate from the unit circle as the y-coordinate on a trig graph for x-coordinates of θ = 0, π/4, π/2, 3π/4 and 2π
- Join these points up using a smooth curve
- To get a clearer idea of the shape of the curve the points for x-coordinates of θ = π/4, 3π/4, 5π/4 and 7π/4 could also be plotted
- Looking at the unit circle alongside of the sine or cosine graph will help to visualise this clearer
Worked example
The coordinates of a point on a unit circle, to 3 significant figures, are (0.629, 0.777). Find θ° to the nearest degree.
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Using The Unit Circle
What are the properties of the unit circle?
- The unit circle can be split into four quadrants at every 90° ( rad)
- The first quadrant is for angles between 0 and 90°
- All three of Sinθ, Cosθ and Tanθ are positive in this quadrant
- The second quadrant is for angles between 90° and 180° ( rad and rad)
- Sinθ is positive in this quadrant
- The third quadrant is for angles between 180° and 270° ( rad and )
- Tanθ is positive in this quadrant
- The fourth quadrant is for angles between 270° and 360° ( rad and )
- Cosθ is positive in this quadrant
- Starting from the fourth quadrant (on the bottom right) and working anti-clockwise the positive trig functions spell out CAST
- This is why it is often thought of as the CAST diagram
- You may have your own way of remembering this
- A popular one starting from the first quadrant is All Students Take Calculus
- To help picture this better try sketching all three trig graphs on one set of axes and look at which graphs are positive in each 90° section
- The first quadrant is for angles between 0 and 90°
How is the unit circle used to find secondary solutions?
- Trigonometric functions have more than one input to each output
- For example sin 30° = sin 150° = 0.5
- This means that trigonometric equations have more than one solution
- For example both 30° and 150° satisfy the equation sin x = 0.5
- The unit circle can be used to find all solutions to trigonometric equations in a given interval
- Your calculator will only give you the first solution to a problem such as x = sin-1(0.5)
- This solution is called the primary value
- However, due to the periodic nature of the trig functions there could be an infinite number of solutions
- Further solutions are called the secondary values
- This is why you will be given a domain in which your solutions should be found
- This could either be in degrees or in radians
- If you see π or some multiple of π then you must work in radians
- Your calculator will only give you the first solution to a problem such as x = sin-1(0.5)
- The following steps may help you use the unit circle to find secondary values
STEP 1: Draw the angle into the first quadrant using the x or y coordinate to help you
- If you are working with sin x = k, draw the line from the origin to the circumference of the circle at the point where the y coordinate is k
- If you are working with cos x = k, draw the line from the origin to the circumference of the circle at the point where the x coordinate is k
- If you are working with tan x = k, draw the line from the origin to the circumference of the circle such that the gradient of the line is k
- Note that whilst this method works for tan, it is complicated and generally unnecessary, tan x repeats every 180° (π radians) so the quickest method is just to add or subtract multiples of 180° to the primary value
- This will give you the angle which should be measured from the positive x-axis…
-
- … anticlockwise for a positive angle
- … clockwise for a negative angle
-
STEP 2: Draw the radius in the other quadrant which has the same...
- ... x-coordinate if solving cos x = k
- This will be the quadrant which is vertical to the original quadrant
- ... y-coordinate if solving sin x = k
- This will be the quadrant which is horizontal to the original quadrant
- ... gradient if solving tan x = k
- This will be the quadrant diagonally across from the original quadrant
STEP 3: Work out the size of the second angle, measuring from the positive x-axis
- … anticlockwise for a positive angle
- … clockwise for a negative angle
- You should look at the given range of values to decide whether you need the negative or positive angle
STEP 4: Add or subtract either 360° or 2π radians to both values until you have all solutions in the required range
Examiner Tip
- Being able to sketch out the unit circle and remembering CAST can help you to find all solutions to a problem in an exam question
Worked example
Given that one solution of cosθ = 0.8 is θ = 0.6435 radians correct to 4 decimal places, find all other solutions in the range -2π ≤ θ ≤ 2π. Give your answers correct to 3 significant figures.
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