Chapter 3

TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS
Angles
Angle is a measure of rotation of a given ray about its initial point. The original ray is called the initial
side and the final position of the ray after rotation is called the terminal side of the angle. The point of
rotation is called the vertex.
If the direction of rotation is anticlockwise,
the angle is said to be positive and
if the direction of rotation
is clockwise, then the angle is negative

The measure of an angle is the amount of rotation performed to get the terminal side from
the initial side. There are several units for measuring angles. The two units of measurement of an angle
which are most used, degree measure and radian measure.

1 th
Degree measure If a rotation from the initial side to terminal side is of a revolution, the angle is
360
said to have a measure of one degree, written as 1°.
A degree is divided into 60 minutes, and a minute is divided into 60 seconds.
One sixtieth of a degree is called a minute, written as 1’, and one sixtieth of a minute is called a second,
written as 1”. Thus, 1° = 60’, 1' = 60”

Radian measure Angle subtended at the centre by an arc

of length 1 unit in a unit circle (circle of radius 1 unit)
is said to have a measure of 1 radian.

the circumference of a circle of radius 1 unit is 2π.

Thus, one complete revolution of the initial side subtends an angle of 2π radian.

Since in a circle of radius r, an arc of length r subtends an angle whose measure is 1

l
radian, an arc of length l will subtend an angle whose measure is radian.
r
Thus, if in a circle of radius r, an arc of length l subtends an angle θ radian at the centre, we have
l
θ= or l = r θ.
r

Relation between radian and real numbers

The radian measures and real numbers can be considered as one and the same.

Relation between degree and radian

Since a circle subtends at the centre an angle whose radian measure is 2π and its degree measure is
360°, it follows that 2π radian = 360° or π radian = 180°
 180
1 radian = ° = 57° 16′ approximately.
π
π
Also 1° = radian = 0.01746 radian approximately.
180

The relation between degree measures and radian measure of some common angles are given in the
following table:

π
Radian measure = × Degree measure
180

180
Degree measure = × Radian measure
π

Trigonometric Functions
The definition of trigonometric ratios to any angle in terms of radian measure and study them as
trigonometric functions.

Consider a unit circle with centre at origin of the coordinate axes.

Let P (a, b) be any point on the circle with angle AOP = x radian

We define cos x = a and sin x = b

π
All angles which are integral multiples of are called quadrantal angles.
2
The coordinates of the points A, B, C and D are, respectively, (1, 0), (0, 1), (–1, 0) and (0, –1)

Therefore, for quadrantal angles, we have

π π 3π 3π
cos 0° = 1, sin 0° = 0, cos = 0, sin = 1, cosπ = − 1, sinπ = 0, cos = 0, sin = –1,
2 2 2 2
cos 2π = 1, sin 2π = 0

Now, if we take one complete revolution from the point P, we again come back to same point P.
Thus, we also observe that if x increases (or decreases) by any integral multiple of 2π, the values of sine

Thus, sin (2nπ + x) = sin x, n ∈ Z , cos (2nπ + x) = cos x , n ∈ Z

and cosine functions do not change.

π
Note: sin x = 0 implies x = nπ, where n is any integer. cos x = 0 implies x = (2n + 1) , where n is any
2
integer.
Other trigonometric functions in terms of sine and cosine functions:

Sign of trigonometric functions

Trigonometric functions which are positive

Quadrant 1 II III IV
Trigo Fn. All Sin Tan Cos
Acronym All Students Take Coffee

Domain and range of trigonometric functions

From the definition of sine and cosine functions, we observe that they are defined for all real numbers.
Further, we observe that for each real number x, – 1 ≤ sin x ≤ 1 and – 1 ≤ cos x ≤ 1

Thus, domain of y = sin x and y = cos x is the set of all real numbers

The domain of y = cosec x is the set { x : x ∈ R and x ≠ n π, n ∈ Z}

and range is the interval [–1, 1]

and range is the set {y : y ∈ R, y ≥ 1 or y ≤ – 1}.

The domain of y = sec x is the set {x : x ∈ R and x ≠ (2n + 1) , n ∈ Z}
π

and range is the set {y : y ∈ R, y ≤ – 1or y ≥ 1}

2

The domain of y = tan x is the set {x : x ∈ R and x ≠ (2n + 1) , n ∈ Z}

π
2

The domain of y = cot x is the set {x : x ∈ R and x ≠ n π, n ∈ Z}

and range is the set of all real numbers.

and the range is the set of all real numbers.

The behaviour of other trigonometric functions in four quadrants.

Values of sin x and cos x repeats after an interval of 2π.

Hence, values of cosec x and sec x will also repeat after an interval of 2π.

Values of tan x will repeat after an interval of π. Since cot x is reciprocal of tan x, its values will also
repeat after an interval of π.

Using this knowledge and behaviour of trigonometric functions, we can sketch the graph of these
functions. The graph of these functions are given above: