Coterminal angle and Reference

angle
Earth on its Axis
Horse in a
Merry-Go-
Round
 Angle in Standard Position
An angle is considered to be in
standard position if its vertex is at
the origin of the xy plane and the
initial side is on the positive x-axis.
If the terminal side of an angle
lies "on" the axes (such as , , , , ), it
is called a quadrantal angle.
Coterminal Angle
Two angles in standard position that have a common terminal
side are called co-terminal angles.
Coterminal Angle
Two angles in standard position that have a common terminal
and initial side are called co-terminal angles.
Note that coterminal angle is represented by X.
Formula for finding coterminal angles:
In degrees,

Where X is the coterminal angle

is the angle in degrees
Z is the integer.
Positive integers represent a counterclockwise rotation while negative integers
represent a clockwise rotation.

Formula for finding coterminal angles:

In radians,

Where X is the coterminal angle

is the angle in radians
Z is the integer.
Positive integers represent a counterclockwise rotation while negative integers
represent a clockwise rotation.
Example 1:
Give four other angles coterminal with
If ,
If ,
If ,
If ,
Example 1:
Give four other angles coterminal with
If , then
If , then
If , then
If , then
Example 1:
Give four other angles coterminal with
If , then
If ,
If ,
If ,
Example 1:
Give four other angles coterminal with
If , then
If , then
If , then
If , then
 True or False
There is an infinite number
of coterminal angle in any
given angle.
Justify your answer.
 Reference Angle
It is the smallest positive angle (
rad) between the terminal side and the x-axis.

Reference angle is a very useful thing when

computing the trigonometric values of an angle. The
computation of the reference angle is dependent on
which quadrant is the angle located.
Example 1:

Find the reference angle of the following angle.

Finding the reference angle.

1. If necessary, first "unwind" the angle: Keep subtracting from it until
it lies between and 360°. (For negative angles, add instead)

For radians, keep subtracting from it until it lies between . (For negative
angles, add instead.)
Example 1:
Find the reference angle of the following angle.

Finding the reference angle.

2. Determine which quadrant the simplified angle(its smallest coterminal
angle) is located.
Example 1:
Find the reference angle of the following angle.

Finding the reference angle.

3. Depending on the quadrant, find the reference angle.
Quadrant Quadrant
I Same as I Same as
II II
III III
IV IV
Example 1:
Find the reference angle of the following angle.

A. Since is in Quadrant I.
Therefore, the reference angle of is .

B. Since is in Quadrant II. Its reference angle is

Therefore, the reference angle of is .
Note:
• If you are dealing with negative angles, get
its absolute value. And use it to get its
reference angle.
• You can convert radians into degrees if you
are having a difficult time dealing with
radians. But one must convert the final
answer to radians.
https://www.mathopenref.com/reference-angle.html