Understanding Sin(θ)
The sine of an angle θ is one of the primary trigonometric functions. On the unit circle, sin(θ) equals the y-coordinate of the point where the terminal side of the angle intersects the circle. In a right triangle, sin(θ) is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse.
Common Sine Values
sin(0°) = 0
At 0 degrees, the point on the unit circle is (1, 0).
sin(30°) = 1/2
At 30 degrees (π/6), the sine value is exactly 0.5.
sin(45°) = √2/2
At 45 degrees (π/4), sine equals the square root of 2 over 2.
sin(60°) = √3/2
At 60 degrees (π/3), sine equals the square root of 3 over 2.
sin(90°) = 1
At 90 degrees (π/2), sine reaches its maximum value of 1.
sin(180°) = 0
At 180 degrees (π), the sine returns to zero.
The Unit Circle
The unit circle is a circle with radius 1 centered at the origin. For any angle θ, the corresponding point on the unit circle is (cos(θ), sin(θ)). This provides a geometric way to understand trigonometric functions for all angles, not just those in right triangles.
Quadrant Signs
- Quadrant I (0° to 90°): sin is positive, cos is positive
- Quadrant II (90° to 180°): sin is positive, cos is negative
- Quadrant III (180° to 270°): sin is negative, cos is negative
- Quadrant IV (270° to 360°): sin is negative, cos is positive