Q.If cotθ=−125 and θ lies in the second quadrant, find the values of sinθ and secθ.
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.
Build a 5-12-13 triangle from ∣cotθ∣, then fix signs for Quadrant II.
sinθ=1312, secθ=−513
cotθ=−125 means sinθcosθ=−125, so the
magnitudes of cosine and sine are in the ratio 5:12, giving a 5-12-13 right-triangle
relationship: ∣cosθ∣=135, ∣sinθ∣=1312 (since
52+122=132). In the second quadrant, sine is positive and cosine is negative (Section 5),
so sinθ=1312 and cosθ=−135 -- consistent, since
cotθ=12/13−5/13=−125 as given. Then
secθ=cosθ1=−5/131=−513.
sinθ=1312, secθ=−513
Treat ∣cotθ∣ as a ratio of two sides of a right triangle to find the magnitudes of sine and cosine, then assign the correct signs using the quadrant.
Assigning cosine as positive in Quadrant II (it is negative there); computing secθ as 1/sinθ instead of 1/cosθ.
Showing the 12 most recent of 54 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The value of sin331π is(a) 23(b) −23(c) 21(d) 21
›Reveal solutionSolution
Subtract multiples of 2π (period of sine) until the angle lies in [0,2π); 31π/3 reduces to π/3.
Since sine has period 2π=36π, subtract multiples of 36π from 331π:
331π−5×36π=331π−330π=3π
So sin331π=sin3π=23, a standard value.
✓Final answer(a) 23.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If tanx=43, π<x<23π then the value of sin2x is(a) −101(b) 101(c) 103(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Find cosx from tanx (both sin, cos negative in Q3), then use the half-angle formula, choosing the sign from the quadrant of x/2.
Given tanx=43 with π<x<23π (x in the third quadrant, where both sinx and cosx are negative). Using the 3-4-5 triangle: sinx=−53, cosx=−54.
Since π<x<23π, dividing by 2: 2π<2x<43π — so x/2 lies in the second quadrant, where sine is positive.
Half-angle formula: sin2x=±21−cosx=21−(−4/5)=29/5=109=103
Taking the positive root (since x/2 is in Q2): sin2x=103.
✓Final answer(c) 103.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct option is (a) 3.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answersinx=135 — option (a).
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerOption (c): Assertion (A) is correct, but Reason (R) is incorrect.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct match is (d) −sinx.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct match is (e) sinx.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct match is (f) −cosx.
- CBSE 2026Set 1A1 markQ.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 answersin(−311π)=23.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct option is (b) −1.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.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 answerThe correct option is (d) −sinx.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.cos25π=(a) 0(b) 1(c) -1(d) 1/2
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos25π=0.
Since cosine has period 2π: 25π−2π=25π−24π=2π.
So cos25π=cos2π=0.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (a) 0.
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