Concept understanding — Trigonometric Functions in Quadrants
Trigonometric Functions in Quadrants
Imagine standing at the centre of a circle, facing east. If you turn by some angle, you end up pointing in a certain direction. That direction has both a horizontal component (east-west) and a vertical component (north-south). Trigonometric functions are just a way to describe those components — and whether they are positive or negative depends entirely on which quadrant you're facing.
The Four Quadrants
The coordinate plane is split into four quadrants, numbered anticlockwise starting from the top-right:
Quadrant I (0° to 90°): x > 0, y > 0
Quadrant II (90° to 180°): x < 0, y > 0
Quadrant III (180° to 270°): x < 0, y < 0
Quadrant IV (270° to 360°): x > 0, y < 0
Now, recall the definitions on the unit circle (radius = 1):
cosθ = x-coordinate of the point on the circle
sinθ = y-coordinate of that point
tanθ=cosθsinθ
So the sign of cosθ follows the sign of x, and the sign of sinθ follows the sign of y. That's all there is to it.
The Sign Pattern
Quadrant
sinθ
cosθ
tanθ
I (0–90)
+
+
+
II (90–180)
+
–
–
III (180–270)
–
–
+
IV (270–360)
–
+
–
Tip
The mnemonic "All Students Take Coffee" helps you remember which functions are positive in each quadrant, starting from QI and going anticlockwise: All (all positive), Sine (sin positive), Tan (tan positive), Cos (cos positive).
Why This Matters
Suppose you're solving sinθ=21. The calculator gives you θ=30∘, but that's only one solution. Because sine is positive in both QI and QII, there's a second angle: 180∘−30∘=150∘. If you forget the quadrant rule, you lose half the answers.
Similarly, if cosθ=−23, cosine is negative in QII and QIII. So the solutions are 150∘ and 210∘ (plus full rotations).
Watch out
Never assume an angle from a calculator is the only one. Always check which quadrants match the sign of the given trigonometric value.
The Core Idea in One Sentence
Important
The sign of a trigonometric function is determined by the quadrant in which the terminal side of the angle lies — sine follows y, cosine follows x, and tangent follows their ratio.
Once you internalise that, you can find any angle, any sign, anywhere on the circle.
The sign of trigonometric functions in each quadrant is a core rule from the NCERT Class 11 Mathematics chapter on Trigonometric Functions, and "ASTC rule trigonometry all students take coffee" is a widely searched mnemonic-based topic for CBSE board and JEE Main/NEET revision. Correctly applying quadrant signs to find all solutions of a trigonometric equation is also one of the most commonly tested skills in "trigonometry important questions" for competitive exams.
Concept: Trigonometric Functions in Quadrants — we rewrite the angle to use known standard angles and quadrant signs.
Step 1: Express 1213π as a sum of a standard angle and π:
1213π=π+12π.
Step 2: Use the identity tan(π+θ)=tanθ (since tan has period π).
So tan1213π=tan12π.
Step 3: Write 12π=3π−4π and apply the tangent subtraction formula:
tan(A−B)=1+tanAtanBtanA−tanB.
Step 4: With tan3π=3 and tan4π=1,
tan12π=1+3⋅13−1=1+33−1.
Rationalise: multiply numerator and denominator by 1−3:
The key idea is to rewrite 1213π as a sum of known angles, then apply the tangent addition formula. The value is 2−3.
Why This Approach Works
The angle 1213π is not one of the standard angles you memorise (0,6π,4π,3π,2π, etc.). But it is a sum of two such angles: 1213π=π+12π. Since tan(π+θ)=tanθ (tangent has period π), the problem reduces to finding tan12π.
Now 12π=15∘, which is not standard either — but it is the difference of two standard angles: 4π−6π. So we use the tangent subtraction formula.
Tip
Whenever you see an angle like 1213π, first check if it can be written as π+(something) or 2π−(something) to exploit periodicity. This often reduces the problem to a smaller, friendlier angle.
Step-by-Step Solution
1. Reduce the angle using periodicity.
The tangent function has period π, meaning tan(θ+π)=tanθ for all θ where defined.
1213π=π+12π
Therefore:
tan1213π=tan(π+12π)=tan12π
Watch out
A common mistake is to use 2π as the period for tangent. While sine and cosine have period 2π, tangent has period π. Using 2π here would still work numerically but is conceptually incorrect.
2. Express 12π as a difference of known angles.
12π=4π−6π
Both 4π (45∘) and 6π (30∘) have known tangent values: tan4π=1 and tan6π=31.
Why rationalising works: The denominator 3+1 is irrational. Multiplying by its conjugate 3−1 gives (3)2−12=3−1=2, a rational number. The numerator becomes (3−1)2=3−23+1=4−23. Dividing by 2 yields 2−3.
Taking the positive root (since x/2 is in Q2): sin2x=103.
✓Final answer
(c) 103.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.Which one of the following is the value of tan319π?
(a) 3
(b) −3
(c) 31
(d) −31
›Reveal solutionSolution
tan319π=3, option (a).
Since tanθ has period π, we can subtract integer multiples of π from the angle without changing its value.
319π−6π=319π−318π=3π
So tan319π=tan3π=3.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (a) 3.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.If tan x = -5/12 and x lies in 2nd quadrant, then the value of sin x is:
(a) 5/13
(b) 12/13
(c) -5/13
(d) -12/13
›Reveal solutionSolution
In the 2nd quadrant sine is positive; using the 5-12-13 right triangle from tan x = -5/12 gives sin x = 5/13.
Given tanx=−125 with x in the 2nd quadrant.
In the 2nd quadrant: sinx>0, cosx<0, and tanx=cosxsinx<0 — consistent with the given negative value.
Treat 5 and 12 as the magnitudes of the opposite and adjacent sides; the hypotenuse is 52+122=25+144=169=13.
Since sine is positive in the 2nd quadrant:
sinx=135
(Check: cosx=−1312, so tanx=−12/135/13=−125✓.)
✓Final answer
sinx=135 — option (a).
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.Assertion (A): The function sinx is negative in the third and fourth quadrant. Reason (R): The function sinx is decreasing in the interval 0≤x≤2π.
(a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(c) Assertion (A) is correct, but Reason (R) is incorrect.
(d) Assertion (A) is incorrect, but Reason (R) is correct.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false — sinx increases, not decreases, on [0,π/2] — so (R) cannot even be a valid explanation of (A).
Checking Assertion (A): In the third quadrant (π<x<23π) and fourth quadrant (23π<x<2π), the value of sinx is indeed negative (sine is positive only in the first and second quadrants). So (A) is TRUE.
Checking Reason (R): On the interval 0≤x≤2π, sinx rises from sin0=0 to sin(π/2)=1 — it is strictly INCREASING on this interval, not decreasing. So (R) is FALSE.
Since (A) is true and (R) is false, (R) also cannot be a correct explanation of (A).
✓Final answer
Option (c): Assertion (A) is correct, but Reason (R) is incorrect.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.Match the columns — Column A: sin(−x). Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.
(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x
(b) 1−tan2x2tanx
(c) 1+tan2x2tanx
(d) −sinx
(e) sinx
(f) −cosx
(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
Sine is an odd function: sin(−x)=−sinx for all x.
This follows directly from the standard trigonometric identity for negative angles, provable from the unit-circle definition: reflecting the angle across the x-axis flips the sign of the y-coordinate (sine) while leaving the x-coordinate (cosine) unchanged.
✓Final answer
The correct match is (d) −sinx.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.Match the columns — Column A: cos(2π−x). Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.
(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x
(b) 1−tan2x2tanx
(c) 1+tan2x2tanx
(d) −sinx
(e) sinx
(f) −cosx
(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
By the co-function identity, cos(2π−x)=sinx.
This is a standard complementary-angle identity: the cosine of 90∘ (i.e. 2π) minus an angle equals the sine of that angle, following from the right-triangle definitions where the two acute angles are complementary.
✓Final answer
The correct match is (e) sinx.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.Match the columns — Column A: cos(π−x). Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.
(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x
(b) 1−tan2x2tanx
(c) 1+tan2x2tanx
(d) −sinx
(e) sinx
(f) −cosx
(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
By the supplementary-angle identity, cos(π−x)=−cosx.
This follows since π−x lies in the second quadrant when x is a first-quadrant angle, where cosine is negative, and the reference angle is x itself, giving magnitude cosx with a negative sign.
✓Final answer
The correct match is (f) −cosx.
CBSE 2026Set 1A1 mark
Q.Find the value of the sin(−311π).
›Reveal solutionSolution
−311π+4π=3π, so the value is sin3π=23.
Using periodicity sinθ=sin(θ+2πk):
−311π+4π=−311π+312π=3π.
Hence sin(−311π)=sin3π=23.
✓Final answer
sin(−311π)=23.
CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.sin23π=
(a) 0
(b) -1
(c) 1
(d) 1/2
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin23π=−1.
23π radians =270°. On the unit circle, 270° corresponds to the point (0,−1) on the negative y-axis, where sinθ equals the y-coordinate, i.e., −1.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (b) −1.
CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.sin(π+x)=
(a) cosx
(b) −cosx
(c) sinx
(d) −sinx
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin(π+x)=−sinx.
Using the compound angle formula sin(π+x)=sinπcosx+cosπsinx. Since sinπ=0 and cosπ=−1, this gives sin(π+x)=0⋅cosx+(−1)sinx=−sinx.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (d) −sinx.
CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.cos25π=
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) -1
(d) 1/2
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos25π=0.
Since cosine has period 2π: 25π−2π=25π−24π=2π.