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Worked Examples · Example 7

Q.If cot⁡x=−512\cot x = -\frac{5}{12}, xx lies in second quadrant, find the values of other five trigonometric functions.

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Given cot⁡x=−512\cot x = -\frac{5}{12} with xx in the second quadrant, we use the Pythagorean identity and quadrant signs to find sin⁡x=1213\sin x = \frac{12}{13}, cos⁡x=−513\cos x = -\frac{5}{13}, tan⁡x=−125\tan x = -\frac{12}{5}, csc⁡x=1312\csc x = \frac{13}{12}, and sec⁡x=−135\sec x = -\frac{13}{5}.

The key to solving this lies in understanding two things: the relationship between the trigonometric functions through the Pythagorean identity, and the sign conventions for each quadrant. In the second quadrant, sine and cosecant are positive, while cosine, secant, tangent, and cotangent are negative. Since we're given cot⁡x=−512\cot x = -\frac{5}{12}, the negative sign already confirms the quadrant — but we must carry that sign through to the related functions.

Let's work through it step by step.

  1. Start with what we know.

    cot⁡x=cos⁡xsin⁡x=−512\cot x = \frac{\cos x}{\sin x} = -\frac{5}{12}.

    This means that if we imagine a right triangle (ignoring signs for a moment), the adjacent side is 5 and the opposite side is 12. The hypotenuse, by Pythagoras, is 52+122=25+144=169=13\sqrt{5^2 + 12^2} = \sqrt{25 + 144} = \sqrt{169} = 13.

  2. Find tan⁡x\tan x.

    Since tan⁡x=1cot⁡x\tan x = \frac{1}{\cot x}, we have

tan⁡x=1−512=−125.\tan x = \frac{1}{-\frac{5}{12}} = -\frac{12}{5}.

The negative sign is consistent with the second quadrant, where tangent is negative.

  1. Find sin⁡x\sin x and cos⁡x\cos x using the triangle ratios. From the triangle, sin⁡x=oppositehypotenuse=1213\sin x = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}} = \frac{12}{13} and cos⁡x=adjacenthypotenuse=513\cos x = \frac{\text{adjacent}}{\text{hypotenuse}} = \frac{5}{13}. But we must apply the quadrant signs: in the second quadrant, sin⁡x>0\sin x > 0 and cos⁡x<0\cos x < 0. So

sin⁡x=1213,cos⁡x=−513.\sin x = \frac{12}{13}, \quad \cos x = -\frac{5}{13}.

Tip

A quick check: cot⁡x=cos⁡xsin⁡x=−5/1312/13=−512\cot x = \frac{\cos x}{\sin x} = \frac{-5/13}{12/13} = -\frac{5}{12}, which matches the given value. Always verify your signs this way.

  1. Find csc⁡x\csc x and sec⁡x\sec x. These are the reciprocals:

csc⁡x=1sin⁡x=112/13=1312,\csc x = \frac{1}{\sin x} = \frac{1}{12/13} = \frac{13}{12},

sec⁡x=1cos⁡x=1−5/13=−135.\sec x = \frac{1}{\cos x} = \frac{1}{-5/13} = -\frac{13}{5}.

Again, csc⁡x\csc x is positive (since sine is positive) and sec⁡x\sec x is negative (since cosine is negative) — consistent with the second quadrant.

  1. Summarize all five functions.

    We now have:

    • sin⁡x=1213\sin x = \frac{12}{13}
    • cos⁡x=−513\cos x = -\frac{5}{13}
    • tan⁡x=−125\tan x = -\frac{12}{5}
    • csc⁡x=1312\csc x = \frac{13}{12}
    • sec⁡x=−135\sec x = -\frac{13}{5}

    And we already had cot⁡x=−512\cot x = -\frac{5}{12}.

Watch out

A common mistake is to forget the sign when taking reciprocals. For example, since cos⁡x\cos x is negative, sec⁡x\sec x must also be negative — don't just flip the fraction without the sign.

✓Final answer

The other five trigonometric functions are sin⁡x=1213\sin x = \frac{12}{13}, cos⁡x=−513\cos x = -\frac{5}{13}, tan⁡x=−125\tan x = -\frac{12}{5}, csc⁡x=1312\csc x = \frac{13}{12}, and sec⁡x=−135\sec x = -\frac{13}{5}.

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