Angles in a Unit Circle

There are many problems involving angles in several fields like

engineering, medical imaging, electronics, astronomy, geography and
many more. Surveyors, pilots, landscapers, designers, soldiers, and
people in many other professions heavily use angles and trigonometry
to accomplish a variety of practical tasks.
In this lesson, we will deal with the basics of angle measures
together with arc length and sectors.
Angle Measure
An angle is formed by rotating a ray about its endpoint. In the
figure shown below, the initial side of ∠𝐴𝑂𝐵 is 𝑂𝐴, while its terminal
side is OB. An angle is said to be positive if the ray rotates in a
counterclockwise direction, and the angle is negative if it rotates in a
clockwise direction.
 An angle is in standard position if it is drawn in the 𝑥𝑦 −
𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑒 with its vertex at the origin and its initial side on the positive 𝑥 −
𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠. The angles 𝛼, 𝛽, and 𝜃 in the following figure are angles in
standard position.

To measure angles, we use degrees, minutes, seconds, and

 Recall that the unit circle is the circle with center at the origin
and radius 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡.

A central angle of the unit circle that intercepts an arc of the

circle with length 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 is said to have a measure of one radian,
written 1 𝑟𝑎𝑑.
 In trigonometry, as it was studied in Grade 9, the degree
measure is often used. On the other hand, in some fields of
mathematics like calculus, radian measure of angles is preferred.
Radian measure allows us to treat the trigonometric functions as
functions with the set of real numbers as domains, rather than angles.
 Since a unit circle has circumference 2𝜋, a central angle that
measures 3600 has measure equivalent to 2𝜋 radians. Thus, we obtain the
following conversion rules.

Converting degree to radian, and vice versa

𝜋
1. To convert a degree measure to radian, multiply it by .
180
180
2. To convert a radian measure to degree, multiply it by .
𝜋
EXAMPLES:
Express the following in radian measure:
1. 800 2. 1200
4 𝜋 4 2 𝜋 2
80 ∙ = 𝜋 120 ∙ = 𝜋
180 9 180 3
9
3
4
0 2
80 = 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 0
120 = 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑
9 3
EXAMPLES:
Give the equivalent degree measure of the following:
𝜋
1. −5
𝑟𝑎𝑑 2.
5𝜋
𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝜋 180 4 45
− ∙ = −36 5𝜋 180
5 𝜋 ∙ = 225
1
4 𝜋
𝜋
− 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = −360 5𝜋
5 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 2250
4
 The figure below shows some special angles in standard position with the indicated
terminal sides. The degree and radian measures are also given.
Examples:
Assessment:
A. Convert from DMS (degree-minutes-seconds)
notation to decimal degrees.
𝑜
1. 42 30’
2. 67𝑜 33’ 18”
𝑜
3. 285 00’ 09”
𝑜
4. 45 45’ 45”
Assessment:
B. Convert the angles from decimal degrees to
DMS (degree-minutes-seconds) notation.
𝑜
1. 20.25
2. 60.37𝑜
3. 275.33 𝑜

4. 5.4525 𝑜
Assessment:
C. Convert the following degree measures to
radians.
𝑜
1. 360
2. 45𝑜
3. 27 𝑜

4. 227.9 𝑜
Assessment:
D. Convert the following radians to degree
measures.
𝜋
1.
3
𝜋
2.
6
2𝜋
3.
3
4
4.
𝜋
Coterminal Angles

Two angles in standard position that have a common terminal side are
called coterminal angles. Observe that the degree measures of coterminal angles
differ by multiples of 3600 .

Two angles are coterminal if and only if their degree measures differ by 360𝑘,
where 𝑘 ∈ 𝑍.

Similarly, two angles are coterminal if and only if their radian measures differ by
2𝜋𝑘, where 𝑘 ∈ 𝑍.
 As a quick illustration, to find one coterminal angle with an angle
that measures 4100 , just subtract 3600 , resulting in 500 .
 Examples:
Find the angle coterminal with −3800 that has measure
a. Between 00 and 3600 ,
b. between −3600 and 00 .

Solution. A negative angle moves in a

clockwise direction, and the angle
−3800 lies in Quadrant IV.

(1)−3800 + 2 · 3600 = 3400

(2)−3800 + 3600 = −200

Two angles are coterminal if and only if their degree measures

differ by 360𝑘, where 𝑘 ∈ 𝑍.
 Examples:
13𝜋
Find the angle coterminal with 2
𝑟𝑎𝑑 that has measure
a. between 0 𝑟𝑎𝑑 and 2𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑,
b. between −2𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 and 0 𝑟𝑎𝑑.
13𝜋 180
13𝜋 ∙ = 1170
(1) − 6𝜋 2
13𝜋
𝜋
2 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 11700
13𝜋 12𝜋 𝜋 2
− = 𝜋 180
2 2 2 ∙
2 𝜋
= 90
𝜋
13𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 900
(2) 2
− 8𝜋 2

3𝜋 180
13𝜋 16𝜋 3𝜋 − ∙ = −270
− =− 2
3𝜋
𝜋
2 2 2 −
2
𝑟𝑎𝑑 = −2700

Two angles are coterminal if and only if their radian measures

differ by 2𝜋𝑘, where 𝑘 ∈ 𝑍.
ARC LENGTH AND AREA OF A SECTOR
In a circle, a central angle whose radian
𝜃
measure is 𝜃 subtends an arc that is the fraction 2𝜋
of the circumference of the circle. Thus, in a circle of
radius r, the length s of an arc that subtends the
angle 𝜃 is
𝜃
𝑠= ∙ 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒
2𝜋
𝜃
𝑠= ∙ 2𝜋𝑟
2𝜋
Giving us,
𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃
In a circle of radius r, the length s of an arc
intercepted by a central angle with measure 𝜃 radians is
given by 𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃.
EXAMPLE 1:
Find the length of an arc of a circle with radius 12 𝑐𝑚 that subtends a
central angle of 1350 .
Solution:
3
𝜋 3𝜋 𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃
135 ∙ = 3 3𝜋
180 4 𝑠 = 12
4 4
1
0
3𝜋 𝑠 = 9𝜋 𝑐𝑚
135 = 𝑟𝑎𝑑
4
EXAMPLE 2:
A central angle 𝜃 in a circle of radius 6 𝑑𝑚 is subtended by an
9
arc of length 𝜋 𝑑𝑚. Find the measure of 𝜃 in radians.
4
𝑟 = 6 𝑑𝑚
9
𝑠 = 𝜋 𝑑𝑚
4
𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃
𝑠 𝑟𝜃
=
𝑟 𝑟
𝑠
𝜃=
𝑟
9
4 𝜋 𝑑𝑚
𝜃=
6 𝑑𝑚
9 1
𝜃 = 𝜋 𝑑𝑚 ∙
4 6 𝑑𝑚
AREA OF A SECTOR

Therefore, if a central angle of a sector has

Imagine the portion covered measure 𝜃 radians, then the sector makes up the
by a slice of pizza is an area of sector 𝜃
fraction 2𝜋 of a complete circle. Since the area of a
of any given circle. Note that an
complete circle with radius r is 𝜋𝑟 2 , we have
angle with measure 2𝜋 radians 𝜃
will define a sector that 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 = (𝜋𝑟 2 )
2𝜋
corresponds to the whole “pizza.” That is,
1 2
In a circle of radius r, the area A of a sector with a 𝐴 = (𝑟 𝜃)
central angle measuring 𝜃 radians is 2
1 2
𝐴 = (𝑟 𝜃)
2
EXAMPLE 1:
𝜋
Find the area of a sector of a circle with central angle 𝑟𝑎𝑑 if the radius of circle is
5
equal 6𝑓𝑡.
Solution :
1 2
𝐴 = (𝑟 𝜃)
2
1 2
𝜋
𝐴 = (6 𝑓𝑡)
2 5
2
36𝑓𝑡 𝜋
𝐴=
10
18𝜋 2
𝐴= 𝑓𝑡
5
EXAMPLE 2:
2𝜋
Find the radius of the circle with central angle that measures 𝑟𝑎𝑑 and
5
with the area of a given sector equal to 80𝜋 𝑖𝑛2 and.
1 2 2𝐴
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 = 80𝜋 𝑖𝑛2 𝐴 = (𝑟 𝜃) 𝑟=
𝜃
2𝜋 2
𝜃= 2𝐴 = 𝑟 2 𝜃
5 2𝐴 𝑟 2 𝜃 2(80𝜋 𝑖𝑛2 )
= 𝑟=
𝜃 𝜃 2𝜋
2𝐴 5
2
𝑟 =
𝜃 5
2𝐴 𝑟= 160𝜋 𝑖𝑛2
𝑟= 2𝜋
𝜃
800𝜋 𝑖𝑛2
𝑟=
2𝜋
𝑟 = 400 𝑖𝑛2
𝑟 = 20 𝑖𝑛
Assessment:
E: Find the equivalent.
Assessment:
F. What are the coterminals?
Linear and Angular Measure
Linear measure is defined as the distance between two points.
The units used are inches, feet, meter, kilometer, etc. In a circle, linear
measure corresponds to its circumference, given by the formula 𝐶 =
2𝜋𝑟.

Taking a portion of that circumference, gives you an arc. An arc

length is a part of a circle defined by two points, 𝑝𝑡. 𝑀 and 𝑝𝑡. 𝐿.
Linear and Angular Measure
Angular measure is usually measured in degrees or radians. A
central angle is a measure of the rotation of the angle formed by the
radius 𝑟 as it runs clockwise or counterclockwise from the initial side
to its terminal side.
Linear and Angular Measure

There is a complete revolution when the length 𝑟 ran all through and
reached a point where the initial and terminal sides are in the same position after
rotating in a counterclockwise (positive) or clockwise (positive) direction. Thus,
1 𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 𝑟𝜃 or simply, 1 𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 𝑠.
UNIT CIRCLE
A unit circle is a circle with center at the origin (0,0) and radius
1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 . Taking the points that lie in the x and y axes in a
counterclockwise direction, we have, (1,0) (0,1) (−1,0) (0, −1).
 A central angle of the unit circle that intercepts an arc of the
circle with length 1 unit is said to have a measure of one radian,
written 1 rad. These lines forming an angle are congruent with exact
measure of 1 unit.
Assessment: G. What’s Your side?
Assessment: H: Where do I belong?
References:
Bacani, J. B. (2016). Precalculus. Commission on Higher
Education: Quezon City.
Huertas, K. R. (n.d.). Pre-Calculus Quarter 2–Module 1: Unit
Circle. Department of Education – Schools Division of
Bataan: Balanga City.
Huertas, K. R. (n.d.). Pre-Calculus Quarter 2–Module 2:
Angle Measurement. Department of Education –
Schools Division of Bataan: Balanga City.

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