Q.Find the values of other five trigonometric functions if sinx=53, x lies in second quadrant.
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) | – | + | – |
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).
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
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 — in the second quadrant, sin is positive, while cos, tan, and their reciprocals are negative.
Step 1: Use the Pythagorean identity:
sin2x+cos2x=1
(53)2+cos2x=1⟹259+cos2x=1
cos2x=2516⟹cosx=±54
Step 2: Since x is in the second quadrant, cosx is negative:
cosx=−54
Step 3: Find the remaining functions using definitions:
tanx=cosxsinx=−4/53/5=−43
cscx=sinx1=35
secx=cosx1=−45
cotx=tanx1=−34
The other five trigonometric functions are cosx=−54, tanx=−43, cscx=35, secx=−45, and cotx=−34.
In the second quadrant, sine is positive while cosine and tangent are negative. Using sinx=53 and the Pythagorean identity sin2x+cos2x=1, we find cosx=−54, then compute the remaining four functions from these two values.
Why the quadrant matters
Trigonometric functions have fixed sign patterns in each quadrant. In the second quadrant (90∘<x<180∘):
- sinx is positive
- cosx is negative
- tanx is negative (positive divided by negative)
- cscx, secx, cotx follow the signs of their reciprocals
Since we're given sinx=53 and told x is in the second quadrant, we know immediately that cosx and tanx must be negative. This sign information is not optional — it's essential for getting the correct answer.
A common mistake is to find cosx=±54 from the identity and pick the positive sign out of habit. The quadrant tells you which sign to choose — always check it.
Step-by-step solution
1. Find cosx using the Pythagorean identity
The fundamental identity is:
sin2x+cos2x=1
Substitute sinx=53:
(53)2+cos2x=1
259+cos2x=1
cos2x=1−259=2516
Taking the square root gives cosx=±54. Since x is in the second quadrant, cosx is negative:
cosx=−54
2. Find tanx
tanx=cosxsinx=−4/53/5=53×(−45)=−43
3. Find cscx (reciprocal of sinx)
cscx=sinx1=3/51=35
Since sinx is positive in QII, cscx is also positive.
4. Find secx (reciprocal of cosx)
secx=cosx1=−4/51=−45
5. Find cotx (reciprocal of tanx)
cotx=tanx1=−3/41=−34
You can also find cotx directly as sinxcosx=3/5−4/5=−34. This is often faster than computing tanx first and then taking its reciprocal.
Final result
Here are all six trigonometric functions for the given x:
| Function | Value |
|---|---|
| sinx | 53 |
| cosx | −54 |
| tanx | −43 |
| cscx | 35 |
| secx | −45 |
| cotx | −34 |
The other five trigonometric functions are cosx=−54, tanx=−43, cscx=35, secx=−45, and cotx=−34.
- KCET 2025Set A-11 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not correct? (A) cos5π=cos4π (B) sin2π=sin(−2π) (C) sin4π=sin6π (D) tan45∘=tan(−315∘)
›Reveal solutionSolution
Evaluate all four statements using periodicity; only (A) is false, because cos5π=−1 while cos4π=+1.
The concept. Sine and cosine have period 2π; tangent has period 180∘ (=π). An odd multiple of π lands cosine at −1, an even multiple at +1. Sine is zero at every integer multiple of π. Test each option; the one that fails is the answer.
Step 1 — Option (A): cos5π=?cos4π.
5π is an odd multiple of π, so
cos5π=cos(4π+π)=cosπ=−1.
4π is an even multiple of π (a full two revolutions), so
cos4π=cos0=+1.
Since −1=+1, this statement is FALSE. This is our candidate.
Step 2 — Option (B): sin2π=?sin(−2π).
sin2π=0,sin(−2π)=−sin2π=−0=0.
0=0 ✓ — TRUE. (Sine is odd, but the negative of zero is still zero.)
Step 3 — Option (C): sin4π=?sin6π.
Sine vanishes at every integer multiple of π:
sin4π=0,sin6π=0.
✓ — TRUE.
Step 4 — Option (D): tan45∘=?tan(−315∘).
Tangent has period 180∘, and also 360∘ works. Add one full revolution to −315∘:
tan(−315∘)=tan(−315∘+360∘)=tan45∘=1.
So both sides equal 1 ✓ — TRUE.
Step 5 — Answer the question actually asked.
Three statements are correct; the one that is not correct is (A). Read the stem carefully — it asks for the false statement, so the answer is the odd one out.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A) — cos5π=cos4π.
ANSWER: A
- KCET 2025Set A-11 markMCQQ.sec2(tan−12)+csc2(cot−13)= (A) 1 (B) 5 (C) 15 (D) 10
›Reveal solutionSolution
Apply the Pythagorean identities sec2=1+tan2 and csc2=1+cot2 directly to the inverse-function arguments.
Step 1 — First term. Let θ=tan−12, so tanθ=2 (and θ∈(0,π/2), the principal branch). Using the identity
sec2θ=1+tan2θ,
sec2(tan−12)=1+22=1+4=5.
Step 2 — Second term. Let ϕ=cot−13, so cotϕ=3 (with ϕ∈(0,π/2)). Using
csc2ϕ=1+cot2ϕ,
csc2(cot−13)=1+32=1+9=10.
Step 3 — Add.
5+10=15.
Step 4 — Geometric cross-check. For tanθ=2, take a right triangle with opposite =2, adjacent =1, hypotenuse =5; then secθ=5/1 and sec2θ=5 ✓. For cotϕ=3, take adjacent =3, opposite =1, hypotenuse =10; then cscϕ=10/1 and csc2ϕ=10 ✓.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (C) — 15.
ANSWER: C
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-M1 markMCQQ.
[!FORMULA] If sinA=54 and cosB=13−12 where A and B lie in first and third quadrant respectively. Then cos(A+B)=
(A) 6516 (B) 65−56 (C) 6556 (D) 65−16›Reveal solutionSolution
Use cos(A+B)=cosAcosB−sinAsinB, first fixing the signs of cosA and sinB from the quadrant information. The result is −6516, which corresponds to option (D).
We are given sinA=54 with A in the first quadrant, and cosB=−1312 with B in the third quadrant. The goal is cos(A+B).
Concept & Intuition
The formula cos(A+B)=cosAcosB−sinAsinB is straightforward — the catch is that we don't yet know cosA or sinB. Their signs are fixed by the quadrants; compute their magnitudes with the Pythagorean identity and attach the correct sign.
Solution
- Find cosA. A in QI ⇒cosA>0.
cos2A=1−(54)2=259⇒cosA=53.
- Find sinB. B in QIII ⇒sinB<0.
sin2B=1−(−1312)2=16925⇒sinB=−135.
- Apply the formula.
cos(A+B)=(53)(−1312)−(54)(−135)=−6536+6520=−6516.
Watch outForgetting that sinB is negative in QIII would give −6556 (option B) — a tempting distractor.
TipSketch the quadrants: QI → all positive; QIII → sine and cosine both negative. This visual check prevents sign errors.
✓Final answercos(A+B)=−6516 — option (D).
ANSWER: D
- COMEDK 2023Set 2023-E1 markMCQQ.
[!FORMULA] If cosec(90+A)+xcosAcot(90+A)=sin(90+A) then the value of x is
(A) cotA (B) cosecA (C) tanA (D) sinA›Reveal solutionSolution
(Valid wherever sin A is non-zero, which is required for the equation to determine x.)
Concept: allied-angle (co-function) identities for a 90 deg shift.
Step 1 - reduce each allied ratio:
- cosec(90 + A) = sec A
- cot(90 + A) = -tan A
- sin(90 + A) = cos A
Step 2 - substitute into the given relation:
sec A + x cos A (-tan A) = cos A
sec A - x cos A * (sin A / cos A) = cos A
sec A - x sin A = cos A
Step 3 - solve for x:
x sin A = sec A - cos A = (1 - cos^2 A)/cos A = sin^2 A / cos A
x = sin A / cos A = tan A.
(Valid wherever sin A is non-zero, which is required for the equation to determine x.)
✓Final answerThe correct option is (C) — tanA
ANSWER: C
- KCET 2022Set C-41 markMCQQ.The trigonometric function y=tanx in the II quadrant (A) decreases from −∞ to 0 (B) increases from 0 to ∞ (C) increases from −∞ to 0 (D) decreases from 0 to ∞
›Reveal solutionSolution
dxdtanx=sec2x>0, so tanx is increasing on every branch; on the II-quadrant branch it runs from −∞ (just right of π/2) up to 0 (at π).
Step 1 — Fix the interval.
The second quadrant means
2π<x<π.
Step 2 — Establish the direction (increasing or decreasing) rigorously.
Differentiate:
dxdy=dxd(tanx)=sec2x=cos2x1.
A square is never negative, and cosx=0 on the open interval, so
sec2x>0for all x∈(2π,π).
A positive derivative ⇒ the function is strictly increasing. This immediately kills options (A) and (D), which both say 'decreases'. (Note: tanx is increasing on every one of its branches — it never decreases anywhere.)
Step 3 — Find the two end-values (the range on this branch).
Use tanx=cosxsinx and the signs in Q-II: sinx>0, cosx<0, so tanx<0 throughout the quadrant.
- As x→(2π)+: sinx→1− (positive) while cosx→0− (a small negative number). A positive divided by a vanishing negative gives
limx→(π/2)+tanx=−∞.
- As x→π−: sinx→0+ and cosx→−1, so
limx→π−tanx=−10=0−.
Step 4 — Combine.
Moving left→right across the quadrant, tanx climbs from −∞ up to 0 — always negative, always rising. Sample values confirm it:
tan100∘≈−5.67,tan135∘=−1,tan170∘≈−0.18.
Each is larger than the last. ✓
Step 5 — Eliminate.
- (A) 'decreases from −∞ to 0' — the values are right but the derivative says increases. ✗
- (B) 'increases from 0 to ∞' — that is the first-quadrant behaviour. ✗
- (D) 'decreases from 0 to ∞' — self-contradictory. ✗
- (C) increases from −∞ to 0 ✓
✓Final answerThe correct option is (C) — increases from −∞ to 0.
ANSWER: C
- KCET 2021Set A-11 markMCQQ.If f(x)=cosx0012cosx1032cosx then limx→πf(x)= (A) −1 (B) 1 (C) 0 (D) 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
The determinant of f(x) works out to 4cos3x−3cosx. Substituting x=π (where cosπ=−1) gives the value −1, option (A).
The matrix f(x) depends on x only through cosx, so its determinant ∣f(x)∣ is a polynomial in cosx — and therefore continuous. Because it is continuous, the limit as x→π is simply its value at x=π, where cosπ=−1.
Let's work through the determinant step by step.
- Write the matrix:
f(x)=cosx0012cosx1032cosx
- Expand along the first column. Its entries are cosx, 0, 0, so only the first term survives:
∣f(x)∣=cosx⋅2cosx132cosx
- Compute the 2×2 determinant:
2cosx132cosx=(2cosx)(2cosx)−(3)(1)=4cos2x−3
- Therefore:
∣f(x)∣=cosx(4cos2x−3)=4cos3x−3cosx
- Take the limit by substituting x=π, i.e. cosπ=−1:
4(−1)3−3(−1)=−4+3=−1
TipNotice that 4cos3x−3cosx=cos3x (the triple-angle identity). So ∣f(x)∣=cos3x, and limx→πcos3x=cos3π=−1 — the same answer, reached in one line.
✓Final answerThe limit is −1, which corresponds to option (A).
- KCET 2020Set A-11 markMCQQ.If tanA+cotA=2, then the value of tan4A+cot4A= (A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 4 (D) 5
›Reveal solutionSolution
tanA and cotA are reciprocals, and a positive number plus its reciprocal equals 2 only when the number is 1 — so both are 1.
Step 1 — Reduce to one variable.
Since cotA=tanA1, set t=tanA (t=0). The condition becomes
t+t1=2.
Step 2 — Solve.
Multiply through by t:
t2+1=2t ⟹ t2−2t+1=0 ⟹ (t−1)2=0 ⟹ t=1.
So tanA=1 (e.g. A=45∘) and consequently cotA=11=1.
(The underlying idea is the AM–GM equality case: for t>0, t+t1≥2, with equality only at t=1. The given equation sits exactly at that boundary, which is why the quadratic has a repeated root.)
Step 3 — Evaluate the required expression.
tan4A+cot4A=14+14=1+1=2.
Alternative (identity route, no root-finding).
tan2A+cot2A=(tanA+cotA)2−2tanAcotA=22−2(1)=2,
since tanAcotA=1. Then
tan4A+cot4A=(tan2A+cot2A)2−2(tanAcotA)2=22−2(1)=4−2=2.✓
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A) — 2.
ANSWER: A
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