Chapter 4 Periodic Data Model
1 Circular Measurement
The concept of angles of rotation enables us to define and evaluate the trigonometric
ratios for angles greater than 90o.
Consider a unit vector r rotating in the anti-clockwise
direction about a fixed point O. A positive angle θ is
formed. When r is rotating in the clockwise direction, θ
would be negative. At time t, xOP = θ.
There are two ways for measuring angles, one is in
degrees and the other is in radians (circular measure).
The conversion of the units is that
180 degrees is equal to radians
1 radian is approximately equal to (180/)o = 57.3o
✩ Note: The size of a radian does not depend on the size of a circle.
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✩ The following table shows the conversion of some special angles
Complete the following table:
Angles in degrees Angles in radians
1.3 rad
1.3 rad = = 74.5o
1.5 rad
1.5 rad = = 270o
178o 178o = = 3.11 rad
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2 Trigonometric ratios
The definition of the trigonometric ratios are as follows:
sinθ =
cosθ =
tanθ =
Quadrant II Quadrant I
x is negative x,y are positive
Only Sine is positive Sine, Cosine, Tangent are positive
Quadrant III Quadrant IV
x,y are negative y is negative
Only Tangent is positive Only Cosine is positive
The CAST Rule
The signs of the trigonometric ratios
can easily be memorized by writing the
word CAST in the quadrants .
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Trigonometric ratios of some special angles
The trigonometric ratios of some special angles are listed below for easy reference.
These could be found by using Pythagoras’ theorem.
By using calculators, show that the values tabulated below are correct and also find
the missing values.
θ 12o 100o 207o 302o -12o 1.2 rad
sinθ 0.2079 0.9848 -0.4540 -0.8480 -0.2079 0.9320
cosθ 0.9781 -0.1736 -0.8910 0.5299 0.9781 0.3624
tanθ 0.2126 -5.6713 0.5095 -1.6003 -0.2126 2.5722
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3 The sine graph
First of all, we have to write down the values of the ordered pairs x and y in a table.
Here x represent the angle in degrees while y = sin x.
x 0o 30o 60o 90o 120o 150o 180o 210o 240o 270o 300o 330o 360o
y 0 0.5 0.87 1 0.87 0.5 0 -0.5 -0.87 -1 -0.87 -0.5 0
By careful drawing, a smooth sine graph is formed.
The sine function y = sin x has a period of 2π (360o) and amplitude 1. The function
repeats itself in a cycle of 2π.
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4 The cosine graph
By writing down the values of the ordered pairs x and y in a table, a cosine graph is
formed. Here x represent the angle in degrees while y = cos x.
x 0o 30o 60o 90o 120o 150o 180o 210o 240o 270o 300o 330o 360o
y 1 0.87 0.5 0 -0.5 -0.87 -1 -0.87 -0.5 0 0.5 0.87 1
Similar to the sine function, the cosine function y = cos x has a period of 2π (360o)
and amplitude 1. The function repeats itself in a cycle of 2π.
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5 Solving Trigonometric Equations
Example 1
In the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 360, solve
(a) sin x = 0.6
(b) sin x = -0.6
Solution 1: graphically
(a) The intersection of y=0.6 with y= sin x gives x=35 or 145.
(b) The intersection of y=-0.6 with y= sin x gives x=215 or 325.
Solution 2: analytically
(a) Using a scientific calculator, we find x = sin-1(0.6) = 36.9. Using symmetry,
another solution is 180- 36.9 = 143.1.
(b) Using a scientific calculator, we find x = sin-1(-0.6) = -36.9. This is not in the
range required. Using symmetry, the solutions are
180+ 36.9 = 216.9.
360- 36.9 = 323.1.
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Example 2
In the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 360, solve
(a) cos x = 0.6
(b) cos x = -0.6
Solution 1: graphically
(a) The intersection of y=0.6 with y= cos x gives x=50 or 310.
(b) The intersection of y=-0.6 with y= cos x gives x=130 or 230.
Solution 2: analytically
(a) Using a scientific calculator, we find x = cos-10.6 = 53.1. Using symmetry,
another solution is 360 - 53.1= 306.9.
(b) Using a scientific calculator, we find x = cos-10.6 = 126.9 (180 - 53.1).
Another solution is x = 180 + 53.1 = 233.1.
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Example 3
In the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 360, solve
(a) sin x = 0.5
(b) sin (x+30) = 0.5
(c) sin 2x = 0.5
Solution
y
(a) sin x = 0.5
x = 30 or 180 – 30 S A
x = 30 or 150 150
By checking the graph of sine, we found that there are 30 30
x
2 solutions.
T C
(b) sin (x+30) = 0.5
x+30 = 30, 150 or 390
x = 0, 120, 360
(c) sin 2x = 0.5
2x = 30, 150, 390, or 510
x = 15, 75, 195 or 265
