Calculating the value for cotangent.

**sterces** · June 30th 2011, 06:16 AM

My question says to "calculate the value for cotangent (0) if (0)=270 degrees, given in standard position"

Just calculating it and getting 1.8370 I got it counted wrong, and when I asked on another forum about it they had gone through and what seems like to me, they used quotient identities and put the cos(270)/(sin(270) to equal 0.

Is that the right way to go about this? It didn't say to use quotient identities so I wasn't sure.

There's a second question with the same degree but its asking for the csc (cosecant) of 270, given in standard position.

**Also sprach Zarathustra** · June 30th 2011, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by sterces

My question says to "calculate the value for cotangent (0) if (0)=270 degrees, given in standard position"

Just calculating it and getting 1.8370 I got it counted wrong, and when I asked on another forum about it they had gone through and what seems like to me, they used quotient identities and put the cos(270)/(sin(270) to equal 0.

Is that the right way to go about this? It didn't say to use quotient identities so I wasn't sure.

There's a second question with the same degree but its asking for the csc (cosecant) of 270, given in standard position.

...some smart people you found out there...

It's true.
$\theta=270^{\circ}$
$\cot(\theta)=\frac{\cos(\theta)}{\sin(\theta)}=\fr ac{\cos(270^{\circ})}{\sin(270^{\circ})}=\frac{0}{-1}=0$

EDIT:
$\sec(\theta)=\frac{1}{\cos(\theta)}$

So, what is $\sec(270^{\circ})$ ?

**sterces** · June 30th 2011, 06:42 AM

Ah, alright, thanks for verifying

sec(270) would be -1 then.

**Also sprach Zarathustra** · June 30th 2011, 06:44 AM

Originally Posted by sterces

Ah, alright, thanks for verifying

sec(270) would be -1 then.

Yes!(But only by my definition of sec function)

**e^(i*pi)** · June 30th 2011, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Also sprach Zarathustra

$\sec(\theta)=\frac{1}{\sin(\theta)}$

$\sec(x) = \dfrac{1}{\cos(x)}$ rather than 1/sin(x).

**Also sprach Zarathustra** · June 30th 2011, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by sterces

Ah, alright, thanks for verifying

sec(270) would be -1 then.

No!

sec(270)=1/cos(270)=1/0

**Opalg** · June 30th 2011, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Also sprach Zarathustra

No!

sec(270)=1/cos(270)=1/0

But the question doesn't ask for $\sec(270^\circ)$ , it asks for $\csc(270^\circ) = \frac1{\sin(270^\circ)} = \frac1{-1} = -1$ .

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