The unit circle and its related concepts of radians, sine and cosine, are a powerful tool used in all fields of mathematics. With a fuller understanding of the unit circle and its radians, you’ll be able to solve all sorts of equations and problems with greater ease. In this article, we will further explore what the unit circle is, the parts of it, its types of radians, how they relate to degrees, how to visualize the circle and its components, calculating angles in radians, converting between the two units, and various applications.
Definition of the Unit Circle
The unit circle is a mathematical tool used to represent trigonometric functions in a two-dimensional coordinate space. It looks like a circle with radius one and its center located at the origin (0, 0). It consists of 360 (or 2π) radians evenly divided by angles 0° to 360° and approximately 6.28 per radian. To identify any particular angle on the unit circle, in radians or degrees, you simply need to measure the distance along the circle from the origin, or use trigonometric formulas and refer to the unit circle.
The Origin of the Unit Circle
The origin of the unit circle goes back to 1800 when it was developed by Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier. He used it to express complex mathematic problems by providing the relationship between angles, cosine and sine functions. Since then, the unit circle has become essential in any course on trigonometry or applied mathematics.
Parts of a Unit Circle
The basic parts of the unit circle are its radius, its center point, circumference, and angle. The radius is a diameter of one unit and is measured starting from the center point. The center point, or origin, of the unit circle is located at (0,0). The circumference is all the points on the circumference of the circle that could be used to calculate the angle between two points or define an arc, while the angle is the measure of the degree at which two points span together.
Types of Radians
Radians are measured in fractions of a rotation or simply in degree without a full rotation being complete. This can be done by taking the angle of a circle in radians (2π or 360) and dividing it into four primary fractions: eighth (π/4 or 45°), quarter (π/2 or 90°), half (π or 180°), and full (2π or 360°). Aside from these main categories, other fractions such as thirds and sixths of a radian may also exist.
Relationship Between Radians and Degrees
To summarize the relationship between radians and degrees: each 90 degrees equals π radians (or half a circumference), each 180 degrees equals 2π radians (or one circumference) and each 360 degrees equals 4π radians (or two circumference). To use radian measure in mathematics or arc length calculation, simply input your desired angle in degrees into a formula which uses radians. Another way to convert degrees to radians is to take the measured angle in degrees and multiply it by π/180.
Visualizing the Unit Circle and Its Radians
The unit circle provides an easy way to visualize an angle as a ratio of π/x. This means that any angle selected can be represented as a line segment drawn out from point zero of the circle with a length defined by x radians. Three special points are located at 0° (right vertical), 90° (top horizontal), 180° (left vertical), and 270° (bottom horizontal). These are some of the most important points on the unit circle as they form a cord system which lets you measure angles easily instead of labouring over trigonometric formulas.
Calculating Angles in Radians
To calculate angles in radians, first determine what fraction of a full circle your angle represents. If your angle is 45°, then it represents 1/8th of a full circle; if it’s 90° then it represents 1/4th; and so on. Then multiply the fraction by π or 2π depending on the number of times you need to traverse your circle around the origin. For example, if your angle is 45° then it is 1/8th of a full circle; therefore you multiply 1/8th by 2π to get your answer in radians.
Converting between Radians and Degrees
To convert angles between radians and degrees you must use two different formulas depending on which type of measurement you are starting from. For conversion from radians to degrees you must use: degrees = radians x 180/π. For conversion from degrees to radians you must use: radians = degrees x π/180. Note that these formulas assume that you are dealing with an angle which is “x” degrees away from an axis (e.g. y = mx + b).
Applications of the Unit Circle and Its Radians
The unit circle and its radians can be used to solve complex equations that involve trigonometric functions such as sine, cosine, and tangent. These equations may come down to solving for X or Y given some angle in radians or degrees and vice versa. It can also help us predict certain wave forms using periodicity formulas and determine the lengths of arcs and chords in a circle. The unit circle is also used to convert between cartesian coordinates and polar coordinates.
Understanding the unit circle and its radians is an essential skill when working with angles and trigonometric functions. With a proper understanding of this powerful tool you should now have confidence performing equations in this domain with greater ease. There’s so much more to learn about this topic so keep exploring!
