Module 7 Lesson 1 Guided Notes Name_______________________

Module Seven Lesson One Introduction

When you learned about right triangle trigonometry, you were
introduced to the core trig concepts of sine, cosine, and tangent. In
this lesson, we will expand on what you already know and
demonstrate that trigonometry goes far beyond the concept of right
triangle trig. Having said that, right triangle trig is an essential
component to understanding trigonometry as a whole. You will learn
how in this lesson.

LESSON OVERVIEW
The unit circle can be thought of simplistically as a circle with a radius of 1 that is centered at the
origin. However, an entire branch of mathematics has been developed based on the unit circle. It’s
time for you to learn all the intricacies of the unit circle and how they tie back to right triangle
trigonometry.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you will:
1- Graph angles in standard position on the coordinate plane.
2- Determine coterminal and reference angles of a given angle.
3- Perform conversions from radians to degrees, and vice versa. 
4- Review the ratios that comprise sine, cosine, and tangent.
5- Develop the Unit Circle based on special right triangles and quadrantal angles.
6- Evaluate sine, cosine, and tangent at key reference angles on the Unit Circle.

KEY TERMS
Initial side of an angle: The initial side of an angle on the coordinate plane is always the positive x-axis.
Terminal side of an angle: The terminal side of an angle on the coordinate plane is the ray extending
from the origin that is not the positive x-axis.
Standard position: An angle placed on the coordinate plane such that its initial side lies on the positive
x-axis.
Ray: A line that originates at a point and extends infinitely in a single direction.
Acute angle: An angle that measures between 0 and 90.
Reference angle: The measure of the angle formed by the terminal side of an angle in standard
position and the closest x-axis ray.
Coterminal angles: Angles in standard position on the unit circle whose terminal sides are the same
ray.
Sine: The ratio determined by taking the side opposite an angle divided by the hypotenuse of a right
triangle.
Cosine: The ratio determined by taking the side adjacent to an angle divided by the hypotenuse of a
right triangle.
Tangent: The ratio determined by taking the side opposite an angle divided by the side adjacent to an
angle in a right triangle.
Subtended angle: An angle whose two rays are intersected an arc.  
Central angle: An angle whose vertex lies at the center of a circle.
Radian: Measure of an angle based on the arc subtended by the central angle of a circle. One radian is
equal to the length of the arc that is equal to the radius of the circle.
Unit circle: Circle with a radius of one that is centered at the origin.

Angles on the Coordinate Plane

You have been learning about angles for years. However, have you ever seen an angle placed on the
coordinate plane? Did you know that there is a standard “placement” position for angles on the
coordinate plane?

An angle, by definition, is created when a ray is rotated around its endpoint.

We call the original ray, the ________________________ and we call the ray that results from
rotation the ______________________. The endpoint of the ray is called the ________________of the
angle.

When the angle is placed on the coordinate plane, the initial side is
placed _________________________________ and the vertex is placed
__________________________. This is referred to as ________________
_________________.

Standard Position Angles

Angles in standard position on the coordinate plane can be positive or negative angles.

____________________________ are
those where the initial side is
rotated counterclockwise.
____________________________ are
those where the initial side is
rotated clockwise.

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Coterminal Angles

Angles that have the same terminal side are called ____________________.

Coterminal angles have the same initial side and the same terminal side such that they appear to be
the same angle on the coordinate plane. However, coterminal angles can have different degree
measures.

Each ____________________________ around the unit circle creates another coterminal angle for
any given angle.

For example, given an angle θ that measures 4 5∘, the following angles are coterminal to θ :

Reference Angles

If an angle is in standard position on the coordinate plane, its _________________________ is the

_________________________ made with the terminal side and the nearest x-axis. Because the
reference angle is acute, reference angles must be ______________ and measure between _____ and
_____ degrees.

Here are examples of how to calculate reference angles in each quadrant:

Terminal sides in the 1st quadrant:

Reference angle: ______________ Reference angle: ______________

Terminal sides in the 2nd quadrant:

Reference angle: ______________ Reference angle: ______________

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Terminal sides in the 3rd quadrant:

Reference angle: ______________ Reference angle: ______________

Terminal sides in the 4th quadrant:

Reference angle: ______________ Reference angle: ______________

Radians vs Degrees

You are familiar with using degrees to measure an angle. Now we introduce you to radians.

Definition of a radian:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

The measure of 1 radian is based on the concept of the ___________________.

Unit Circle:

______________________________________________________________________

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An angle measuring one radian on the unit circle is shown in the image below. Note that the arc
subtended by the central angle θ is equal in length to the radius of the circle. Both measures are
equal to 1 radian.

The circumference of the unit circle is equal to __________________. This

makes sense because the circumference of any circle is
__________________ and the unit circle has a radius of 1.

Therefore, the radian measure for the angle that represents one
complete revolution around the unit circle is __________________.

Title: Define a Radian. Author: Hal Canary. Public Domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Define_a_radian.png

We know from prior studies of circles that degree measure of the central angle of a complete
circle is __________________. Therefore, we can conclude that ____________________. This
relationship enables us to convert between radians and degrees.

Radians and Arc Length

Even on a circle that is not the unit circle, we can calculate one radian as the ratio between the
arc length that is subtended by a central angle and the radius of the circle. The equation we use
to relate radius, arc length, and radians is:

_________________________

As a result, if we have two of the three measures, we can solve for the third. For example, you
π
might be asked to find the radius of a circle with a central angle measuring radians and a
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subtended arc length of 12 inches. To find the radius, substitute the radian and arc length
measure into the equation as follows:

Converting Between Radians and Degrees

If we start with the relationship that 2 π radians=360 ∘, we can divide each side of the equation by
2 π to determine that 1 radian is equal to _____________.

We could also divide each side of the equation by 360 ∘ and determine that 1 degree is equal to
_____________ radians.

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Convert the following angles from degrees to radians. To convert, we multiply the degree
measure by _____________ radians.

1) 120 ∘ 2) −135 ∘ 3) 90 ∘

4) 270 ∘ 5) −30 ∘

Convert the following angles from radians to degrees. To convert, we multiply the radian
measure by _____________.

5π π −7 π
1) 2) 3)
4 3 6

π
4) −π 5)
4

Notice that none of the radian measures in either conversion exercise included units. Because
radians are a “unitless” measure it is not required that you include the work “radian” with your
measure. Any angular measure without the degree symbol is assuming to be stated in radians.

Right Triangle Trigonometry

Below is the image of a right triangle with angle A labeled. The sides opposite and adjacent to
angle A, as well as the hypotenuse of the triangle, are also labeled.

There are three basic trigonometric ratios that we work with in right triangle trigonometry.
These are:

sine: ____________________________________________________________

cosine: __________________________________________________________

tangent: __________________________________________________________

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7
You might recall the acronym “SOHCAHTOA” that we use to remember these three trig ratios.
SOHCAHTOA stands for:

SOH: _______________________________________

CAH: _______________________________________

TOA: _______________________________________

Right Triangle Trigonometry Practice Problem

You have learned to use right triangle trig to solve word problems. Here is an example that will
remind you of this process:

A hot air balloon is flying 800 ft above the ground. A person on the ground sees the blimp by
looking up at a 28° angle. The person’s eye level is 6 feet above the ground. Find the distance from
the hot air balloon to the person.
The first step in this problem is to draw a picture that represents the situation.

To solve for the vertical leg of the right triangle, we will

subtract the 6-foot height of the person from the 800-foot
altitude of the hot air balloon. The difference is
_____________________.

We know the angle measure and we know the length of the opposite side of triangle. We want to
solve for the hypotenuse of the triangle.
We choose to use the trigonometric ratio ____________, which is the ratio of opposite divided by
hypotenuse. Here is the set up:

Now solve for the length of the hypotenuse.

The hypotenuse of the right triangle, which represents the distance from the person to the hot
air balloon, is ________________.

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Placing Right Triangles on the Coordinate Plane

In trigonometry, we place right triangles on the coordinate plane with the angle θ at the origin.
Each right triangle is placed in standard position with the initial side on the positive x-axis. The
terminal side of the right triangle extends outward from the origin. The hypotenuse of the right
triangle becomes the radius of a circle that is centered at the origin. We label the length of the
hypotenuse r since it represents radius.

The image below shows a right triangle placed in the first quadrant. Note that the base of the
triangle is labeled _______, the height of the triangle is labeled _______, and the hypotenuse of the
right triangle is labeled _______.

Because the angle θ is always placed at the origin, the side of the triangle that sits on the x-axis is
always the ________________________ and the vertical side of the triangle is always the
________________________.

Along with the right triangle, the image shows a circle of radius
_______ that is centered at the origin. The point where the terminal
side of the triangle intersects the circle is the point _______.

We can evaluate the sine, cosine, and tangent ratios of a right triangle
on the coordinate plane using SOHCAHTOA as follows:
SOH: _______________________________________

We state that _________________.

CAH: ___________________________________. We state that ________________.

TOA: ___________________________________. We state that _________________.

If the circle on the coordinate plane has a radius of 1, that means that we are working with
_________________. By definition, the unit circle is ____________
________________________________________________________________.

When we work with a unit circle, the sine and cosine ratios can be
simplified since the r value is equal to 1:

SOH: _______________________________________

We state that _________________ in the unit circle.

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CAH: _______________________________________

We state that _________________ in the unit circle.

The tangent ratio remains the same: TOA: ____________________________________

We state that _________________ in the unit circle.

Below are images of right triangles with terminal sides in the second, third, and fourth
quadrants. In each of the images, the base of the triangle is always labeled _______ and is always
the adjacent side, the height of the triangle is always labeled _______ and is always the opposite
side, and the hypotenuse of the right triangle is always labeled _______.

The images also show a circle of radius _______ that is centered at the origin. Just as with a right
triangle with terminal side in the first quadrant, the point where the terminal side of the
triangle intersects the circle is the point _________.

Second quadrant: Third quadrant: Fourth quadrant:

We can evaluate
the sine, cosine,
and tangent
ratios of any right
triangle that has a terminal side in any quadrant on the coordinate plane using SOHCAHTOA as
shown previously.
SOH: ____________________________________. We state that ________________.

CAH: ____________________________________. We state that ________________.

TOA: ____________________________________. We state that ________________.

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Sine, Cosine, and Tangent on the Unit Circle

We can work with the unit circle and right triangles that terminate in each of the quadrants. The
sine and cosine ratios for these triangles will be simplified since the r value is equal to 1.

For right triangles on the unit circle, the following

trigonometric ratios are used:

30 Degree Angle at the Origin

The image below shows a 30-60-90 triangle that is placed on

the unit circle and in the first quadrant of the
coordinate plane with the 30-degree angle at the origin.

From the perspective of the 30-degree angle, the following trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine: cosine: tangent:

Note that the sine ratio is equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the
terminal side of the 30-degree angle and the unit circle.

The cosine ratio is equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the terminal
side of the 30-degree angle and the unit circle.

30 Degree Reference Angles

We can place a 30-60-90 triangle on the unit circle with the 30-
degree angle at the origin in each of the four quadrants. The
image shows how this is done.

Notice that the placement of the 30-degree angle at the origin

creates a set of _________________________ that each measure 30
degrees.

We call this the _________________________. Because 30 degrees is equal to _____________________,

we also refer to this as the ____________________.

Each angle that has a terminal side that creates a reference angle that measures
____________________ or ____________________ is a member of this family.

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All angles with a reference angle that measures ____________________ or ____________________
have the same trigonometric ratios in absolute value. The ____________________ of the
trigonometric ratios will change depending on
____________________________________________________________.

Let’s explore that idea with various angles on the unit circle.

7π
1. 15 0
∘
2.
6

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

−π
3.
6

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

π
You Try: (3 0∘) Family
6

For each of the following problems, draw the angle on the coordinate plane and evaluate the
angle’s sine, cosine, and tangent ratios.

12
Try the problems on your own and then watch the video to check your solutions.

−7 π 13 π
1. 2.
6 6

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

3. 21 0
∘
4. 51 0
∘

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

60 Degree Angle at the Origin

Now that you have learned about how to place a 30-60-90 triangle on the unit circle with the 30-
degree angle at the origin, it is time to explore 30-60-90 triangles with the 60-degree angle at the
origin. Below is an image showing how to place the triangle in the first quadrant.
From the perspective of the 60-degree angle, the following
trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

Note that, just as with the 30-degree reference angles, the sine
ratio is equal to the ________________ of the intersection point
between the terminal side of the 60-degree angle and the unit circle.

The cosine ratio is once again equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the
terminal side of the 60-degree angle and the unit circle.

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14
60 Degree Reference Angles

We can place a 30-60-90 triangle on the unit circle with the 60-degree angle at the origin in each
of the four quadrants. The image below shows how this is done.

Notice that the placement of the 60-degree angle at the origin

creates a set of ___________________________ that each measure
60 degrees.

We call this the ________________. Because 30 degrees is equal to

________________, we also refer to this as the ________________.

Each angle that has a terminal side that creates a reference

angle that measures ________________ or ________________ is a
member of this family.

All angles with a reference angle that measures ________________ or ________________ have the
same trigonometric ratios in absolute value. The ________________ of the trigonometric ratios will
change depending on ____________________________________________________.
Let’s explore that idea with various angles on the unit circle.

−2 π
1. 12 0∘ 2.
3

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

5π
3.
3

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

15
16
 π
You Try: (6 0∘) Family
3

For each of the following problems, draw the angle on the coordinate plane and evaluate the
angle’s sine, cosine, and tangent ratios.

Try the problems on your own and then watch the video to check your solutions.

−4 π
1. 2. −30 0∘
3

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

11 π
3. 24 0
∘
4.
3

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

45 Degree Angle at the Origin

The other special right triangle that you learned about in previous math courses is the 45-45-90
triangle. This is also called an isosceles right triangle since the legs of the right triangle are
congruent. Below is an image showing how to place a 45-45-90 triangle in the first quadrant.

From the perspective of the 45-degree angle, the following

trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine:

17
cosine:

tangent:
Note that, just as with the 30- and 60-degree reference angles, the sine ratio is equal to the
________________ of the intersection point between the terminal side of the 45-degree angle and
the unit circle.

The cosine ratio is once again equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the
terminal side of the 45-degree angle and the unit circle.

45 Degree Reference Angles

We can place a 45-45-90 triangle on the unit circle in each of the four quadrants. The image below
shows how this is done.

The placement of the 45-degree angle at the origin creates a set

of ____________________________ that each measure 45 degrees.

We call this the ______________________. Because 45 degrees is

equal to ___________________, we also refer to this as the
________________.

Each angle that has a terminal side that creates a reference

angle that measures ________________ or ________________ is a member of this family.

All angles with a reference angle that measures ________________ or ________________ have the
same trigonometric ratios in absolute value. The ________________ of the trigonometric ratios will
change depending on ____________________________________________________________.

Let’s explore that idea with various angles on the unit circle.

−π
1. −13 5
∘
2.
4

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

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 5π
3.
4

sine: cosine: tangent:

π
You Try: (4 5∘) Family
4

For each of the following problems, draw the angle on the coordinate plane and evaluate the
angle’s sine, cosine, and tangent ratios.

Try the problems on your own and then watch the video to check your solutions.

−5 π
1. 2. 31 5
∘
4

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

9π
3. 22 5∘ 4.
4

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

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Quadrantal Angles

Angles on the unit circle can terminate at any location. We have studied the special cases when
they terminate at 30-, 45-, and 60-degree reference angles. There is one more “family” of cases that
we will study, and these cases are called quadrantal angles. A quadrantal angle has its terminal
side on either the x- or y-axis.

On the domain of ¿, the quadrantal angles are 0∘ , 9 0∘ , 18 0∘, and 27 0∘ .

Let’s take a look at each of these.

Zero Degree Angle

First, a 0∘ angle is one in which both the initial and terminal side lie on the positive x-axis. An image
of this is shown below.
From the perspective of a 0-degree angle, the following
trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine: cosine: tangent:

90 Degree Angle

A 9 0∘ angle is one in which the terminal side lies on the positive y-axis. An image of this is shown
below.

From the perspective of a 90-degree angle, the following

trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

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180 Degree Angle

A 18 0∘ angle is one in which the terminal side lies on the negative x-axis. An image of this is shown
below.

From the perspective of a 180-degree angle, the following

trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

270 Degree Angle

A 27 0∘ angle is one in which the terminal side lies on the negative y-axis. An image of this is shown
below.

From the perspective of a 270-degree angle, the following

trigonometric ratios can be calculated:

sine:

cosine:

tangent:

Note that, just as with the 30-, 45-, and 60-degree reference angles, the sine ratio of all
quadrantal angles is equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the terminal
side of the angle and the unit circle.

The cosine ratio is once again equal to the ________________ of the intersection point between the
terminal side of all quadrantal angles and the unit circle.

You Try: Family of Quadrantal Angles

For each of the following problems, draw the angle on the coordinate plane and evaluate the
angle’s sine, cosine, and tangent ratios.

Try the problems on your own and then watch the video to check your solutions.

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1. −π 2. −450
∘

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

5π
3. 4. 2π
2

sine: sine:

cosine: cosine:

tangent: tangent:

The Unit Circle: Putting it all

Together

It’s time to summarize everything you have learned about the sine, cosine, and tangent ratios for
the four families of angles that you have studied. Searching for patterns in the ratios will help
you to memorize the trig ratios at key angles on the unit circle.

Summary of Trig Ratios: 30-, 60-, and 45-Degree Families

π
In the 30-degree (or ) family, the following are always the absolute values of the trig ratios:
6

Sine: Cosine: Tangent:

π
In the 60-degree (or ) family, the following are always the absolute values of the trig ratios:
3

Sine: Cosine: Tangent:

22
 π
In the 45-degree (or ) family, the following are always the absolute values of the trig ratios:
4

Sine: Cosine: Tangent:

It is a good idea to memorize these ratios as they will be integral to your study of precalculus and
calculus.

Signs by Quadrant

Once you have memorized the three core trigonometric ratios for each family of functions, it is
useful to understand the sign of each ratio by quadrant.

Because the sine ratio is always determined by the __________________ of the point of intersection
between the terminal side of the angle and the unit circle, sine will be positive when the y values
are positive. This occurs in the __________________________ quadrants.

The cosine ratio is always determined by the __________________ of the point of intersection
between the terminal side of the angle and the unit circle, so cosine will be positive when the x
values are positive. This occurs in the __________________________ quadrants.

The tangent ratio is always determined by dividing the __________________ by the

__________________ of the point of intersection between the terminal side of the angle and the
unit circle, so tangent will be positive when the x and y values __________________________. This
occurs in the __________________________ quadrants.

There is a mnemonic device that is frequently used to remember in which quadrants each trig ratio
is positive.

The image shows the letters A-S-T-C as you move counterclockwise from the first quadrant to the
fourth quadrant.

The letters A-S-T-C stand for

_______________________________________.

All:

Sine:

Tangent:

Cosine:
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So, what is the mnemonic device?

Instead of memorizing A-S-T-C as ____________________________________, try remembering these

words instead:

And just remember that the words start in the first quadrant and work in a counterclockwise
direction around the unit circle.

Summary of the Quadrantal Family

Quadrantal angles do not lie within a quadrant, so we must address them separately.

Here is a table that summarizes the trig ratios for each of the quadrantal angles.

0∘ ∘ π 18 0∘∨π ∘ 3π
90 ∨ 27 0 ∨
2 2

sine

cosine

tangent

Notice that each quadrantal angle has only 4 possible trigonometric values:
_____________________________________.

The best way to remember these is to visualize the unit circle at each of these angles and determine
the trig ratio from the image.
Summary of the Unit Circle

At this point, you have learned how to determine the

sine, cosine, and tangent values for 30-, 45-, and 60-
degree reference angles in each of the four quadrants
and for the quadrantal angles. Based on all that you
have learned you could put together the entire unit
circle, which is shown below. We introduced Lesson 1
with this image, and now you know where all the
details come from!

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You Try: Putting it all Together

For each of the following problems, evaluate the trigonometric ratio.

Try the problems on your own and then watch the video to check your solutions.

1. sin ( 13 5 )
∘
2. tan ( 76π )
3. cos ( −54 0 ) 4. sin ( 27 0 )
∘ ∘

5. cos ( 53π ) 6. tan ( 34π )

7. sin ( −134 π ) 8. cos ( 136π )
9. tan ( −23 π ) 10. sin ( π6 )

25