Q.If , lies in second quadrant, find the values of other five trigonometric functions.
Given with in the second quadrant, we use the Pythagorean identity and quadrant signs to find , , , , and .
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 , 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.
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Start with what we know.
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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 .
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Find .
Since , we have
The negative sign is consistent with the second quadrant, where tangent is negative.
- Find and using the triangle ratios. From the triangle, and . But we must apply the quadrant signs: in the second quadrant, and . So
A quick check: , which matches the given value. Always verify your signs this way.
- Find and . These are the reciprocals:
Again, is positive (since sine is positive) and is negative (since cosine is negative) — consistent with the second quadrant.
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Summarize all five functions.
We now have:
And we already had .
A common mistake is to forget the sign when taking reciprocals. For example, since is negative, must also be negative — don't just flip the fraction without the sign.
The other five trigonometric functions are , , , , and .
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