Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Reference Angles
A reference angle is the acute angle formed by the terminal side of an angle in standard position and the x-axis. It is always measured as a positive angle and is used to simplify the calculation of trigonometric functions. For angles greater than 360 degrees or less than 0 degrees, the reference angle can be found by subtracting or adding full rotations (360 degrees or 2ฯ radians) until the angle falls within the first rotation.
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Reference Angles on the Unit Circle
Tangent Function
The tangent function, denoted as tan(ฮธ), is defined as the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side in a right triangle. In the unit circle, it can also be expressed as the ratio of the sine and cosine functions: tan(ฮธ) = sin(ฮธ)/cos(ฮธ). Understanding the behavior of the tangent function in different quadrants is essential for evaluating its values based on the reference angle.
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Introduction to Tangent Graph
Quadrants and Angle Measurement
The coordinate plane is divided into four quadrants, each corresponding to specific ranges of angle measurements. Angles are measured in radians, with 0 radians at the positive x-axis, ฯ/2 radians at the positive y-axis, ฯ radians at the negative x-axis, and 3ฯ/2 radians at the negative y-axis. Knowing the quadrant in which an angle lies helps determine the sign of the trigonometric functions, which is crucial for finding the exact value of expressions like tan(9ฯ/2).
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