Understanding cos 30° in Trigonometry | Definition, Unit Circle, and Ratios

cos 30°

The cosine of 30 degrees, denoted as cos 30°, represents the ratio of the length of the adjacent side of a right triangle to the length of the hypotenuse

The cosine of 30 degrees, denoted as cos 30°, represents the ratio of the length of the adjacent side of a right triangle to the length of the hypotenuse. In trigonometry, cosine is one of the six trigonometric functions that relates the angles of a right triangle to the lengths of its sides.

To find the value of cos 30°, it is helpful to refer to the unit circle, which is a circle with a radius of 1 unit. At the angle of 30 degrees on the unit circle, the x-coordinate of the point on the circle is equal to cos 30° and the y-coordinate is equal to sin 30°.

In this case, cos 30° can be represented as the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle. In a 30-60-90 right triangle, the ratio of the lengths of the sides is 1 : √3 : 2, where the side opposite the 30° angle has a length of 1, the side opposite the 60° angle has a length of √3, and the hypotenuse has a length of 2.

Therefore, cos 30° is equal to 1/2.

More Answers:
Understanding the Co-Function of Sine and Cosine | A Math Guide for Right Triangles and the Unit Circle
Understanding the Corelationship Between the Secant and Cosecant Functions | A Math Explainer
Understanding the Sine Function | Calculating sin 30° in Trigonometry

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