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The Unit Circle Using Hands

The document provides instructions for using a "hand trick" to help students remember values on the unit circle. It involves using different fingers to represent angles, then folding fingers down to determine the sine and cosine values. For example, folding the index finger represents 30 degrees, and folding it down gives the ordered pair (√3/2, 1/2), indicating that sin(30°) = 1/2 and cos(30°) = √3/2. The method is explained for the first, second, third, and fourth quadrants, with appropriate modifications like sign changes between quadrants. Tangent values can also be determined by rotating ordered pairs and writing as fractions.

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Paula Fana
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795 views10 pages

The Unit Circle Using Hands

The document provides instructions for using a "hand trick" to help students remember values on the unit circle. It involves using different fingers to represent angles, then folding fingers down to determine the sine and cosine values. For example, folding the index finger represents 30 degrees, and folding it down gives the ordered pair (√3/2, 1/2), indicating that sin(30°) = 1/2 and cos(30°) = √3/2. The method is explained for the first, second, third, and fourth quadrants, with appropriate modifications like sign changes between quadrants. Tangent values can also be determined by rotating ordered pairs and writing as fractions.

Uploaded by

Paula Fana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE UNIT CIRCLE – HAND TRICK

IMPORTANT! This activity is a SUPPLEMENT to your lesson on the Unit Circle. Your

students must know how to create it using Special Right Triangles. This activity is meant to

create a recall point for your students.

Meaning, something exciting to remember the lesson by and its importance. So when

they hear the terms Unit Circle they think back and go "Oh Yeah! That is the day we did the

hand trick."

With that said this unit circle activity is also good as a last resort for those students who

just cannot grasp the creation of the unit circle. What I have noticed my advanced students love

it too because once they have learned this little trick they can quickly use it to recall the piece

of the circle they need. These students can also very quickly figure it out using the special right

triangles or by memorizing the first quadrant. For me I just like it as an activity that the students

can remember the lesson by. It is out of the ordinary and a change of pace from normal math

activities.

With that said. Here is the lesson...

UNIT CIRCLE HAND TRICK

Note: This trick is best used to help remember the first quadrant of the unit circle but it can be

modified to recall the whole Unit Circle!


You will want your students to use the hand opposite the one that they write with. If they write

with their right hand use their left, if they write with their left hand then use their right. The

reason for this is so they can write while looking at their other hand to remember the 'trick'.

The below pictures shows how to hold your hands.


Note: This trick is best used to help remember the first quadrant of the unit circle but it can be

modified to recall the whole Unit Circle!

You will want your students to use the hand opposite the one that they write with. If they write

with their right hand use their left, if they write with their left hand then use their right. The

reason for this is so they can write while looking at their other hand to remember the 'trick'.

The below pictures shows how to hold your hands.

Each one of your five fingers represents a special point on the Unit Circle:
Thumb - 0° or 0π (2π)

Index Finger - 30° or π/6

Middle Finger - 45° or π/4

Ring Finger - 60° or π/3

Pinky Finger - 90° or π/2

FINDING SINE AND COSINE: FIRST QUADRANT

When finding sine and cosine remember your answer always looks like the square root of

something over two (√?/2).

Step One:

To find the value for sine/cosine just fold down the respective finger. For example, if we

wanted to find sine/cosine values for 30° or π/6 we would fold down the index finger.
Step Two:

Now we turn our hands into an ordered pair; parentheses on the outside and a comma where

the folded down finger is.


So continuing with our example of 30° or π/6 we get (3,1).

Step Three:

We must now implement what was stated before step one (√?/2), which gives us (√3/2,

√1/). This simplifies to (√3/2, 1/2).

Step Four:

Since we know on the unit circle, the ordered pairs are presented (cosine, sine) we can

conclude that the sin(30°) or sin(π/6) is equal to 1/2 and the cos(30°) or cos(π/6) is equal to

√3/2.

√4 2
Note: This does work for 0° and 90°. 0/2=0 and =2=1
2
FINDING SINE AND COSINE: SECOND QUADRANT

This is almost as easy as the process for Quadrant I, but with a few small changes. First things,

first, we need to flip our hands (just like a reflection over the y-axis). Now each finger

represents a new point on the unit circle:

Pinky Finger: 90° or π/2

Ring Finger: 120° or 2π/3

Middle Finger: 135° or 3π/4

Index Finger: 150° or 5π/6

Thumb: 180° or π
Now we follow steps one through three for Finding Sine and Cosine: First Quadrant.

For example, if we were trying to find the sine/cosine values of 120° or 2π/3 we would get

(√3/2, 1/2).

Step Four:

Since we flipped our hands over the y-axis, we now must switch our values in our ordered pair.

Thus we now have (1/2, √3/2).

Step Five:

Finally we must apply negative signs where appropriate for the second quadrant (the x-value of

the order pair).

Therefore we end up with (-1/2, √3/2) and can conclude that sin(120°) or sin(2π/3) is equal to -

1/2 and cos(120°) or cos(2π/3) is equal to √3/2.

FINDING SINE AND COSINE: THIRD QUADRANT

This is exactly the same as Finding Sine and Cosine: Second Quadrant, except for step five, we

now negate both value of the ordered pair. (You also have to reflective your hand again, this

time over the x-axis. Or starting from the original position, rotate 180° counter clockwise. This

is an awkward position for the right handed people. Fingers will also now represent new

positions on the unit circle.)

FINDING SINE AND COSINE: FOURTH QUADRANT

Starting from the original position, flip your hand down (reflect over the x-axis). Fingers will

also now represent new positions on the unit circle. (This is an awkward position for the left

handed people)

Follow steps one through three for Finding Sine and Cosine: First Quadrant.
Step Four:

Apply negative signs where appropriate for the fourth quadrant (the y-value of the order pair).

FINDING TANGENT:

Follow step one and two for Finding Sine and Cosine: First Quadrant. Going back to our

example of 30° or π/6 we get (3,1).

Step Three:

Rotate your ordered pair 90° counter clockwise and turn into a fraction.

Step Four:

Place fraction under radical sign and simplify.


Step Five:

Now we can conclude that tan(30°) or tan(π/6) is equal to √3/3.

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