If tan (x) =5/12tan(x)=512, then what is sin x and cos x?

8 Answers
Apr 15, 2015

Viewed as a right angled triangle
tan(x)=5/12tan(x)=512
can be thought of as the ratio of opposite to adjacent sides in a triangle with sides 5, 125,12 and 1313 (where 1313 is derived from the Pythagorean Theorem)

So
sin(x) = 5/13sin(x)=513
and
cos(x) = 12/13cos(x)=1213

Sep 1, 2015

This can be solved easily once we visualise it.

Explanation:

A)wkt, tanx = perpendicular(p)/base(b) .....(1)
B)We are given tanx=5/12 .....(2)
C)On comparing the quantities we get that p=5 and b=12
D)We require the value of hypotenuse(h),
for this we apply the Pythagoras theorum i.e, h^2= p^2 + b^2h2=p2+b2
rArr h^2 h2 =5^2 52+12^2 122
rArrh^2 h2=25+144
rArrh^2 h2=169
rArr h=sqrt169169
rArr h=13
..............................................................................................................
Hence , sinx = perpendicular/hypotenuse=p/h = 5/13
cosx = base/hypotenuse=b/h = 12/13 .... (Answer)**

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I hope this helps :)

Jun 24, 2016

sin(x)=5/13sin(x)=513
cos(x)=12/13cos(x)=1213

Explanation:

The best way is to visualize the 5-12-1351213 right triangle, but this is another valid method:

tan(x)=5/12" "=>" "x=arctan(5/12)tan(x)=512 x=arctan(512)

So, we see that:

sin(x)=sin(arctan(5/12))sin(x)=sin(arctan(512))

We can relate sinsin and tantan:

sin^2(x)+cos^2(x)=1sin2(x)+cos2(x)=1

Dividing through by sin^2(x)sin2(x):

1+cot^2(x)=csc^2(x)1+cot2(x)=csc2(x)

Rewriting:

1+1/tan^2(x)=1/sin^2(x)1+1tan2(x)=1sin2(x)

Common denominator:

(tan^2(x)+1)/tan^2(x)=1/sin^2(x)tan2(x)+1tan2(x)=1sin2(x)

Inverting:

sin^2(x)=tan^2(x)/(tan^2(x)+1)" "=>" "sin(x)=tan(x)/sqrt(tan^2(x)+1)sin2(x)=tan2(x)tan2(x)+1 sin(x)=tan(x)tan2(x)+1

So, plugging this into sin(x)sin(x), we see that it equals:

sin(arctan(5/12))=tan(arctan(5/12))/sqrt(tan^2(arctan(5/12))+1)sin(arctan(512))=tan(arctan(512))tan2(arctan(512))+1

Since tan(arctan(5/12))=5/12tan(arctan(512))=512:

sin(x)=(5/12)/sqrt(25/144+1)=(5/12)/sqrt(169/144)=5/12(12/13)=5/13sin(x)=51225144+1=512169144=512(1213)=513

We can now use this to find cos(x)cos(x):

sin^2(x)+cos^2(x)=1" "=>" "(5/13)^2+cos^2(x)=1sin2(x)+cos2(x)=1 (513)2+cos2(x)=1

So:

cos^2(x)=1-25/169" "=>" "cos(x)=sqrt(144/169)=12/13cos2(x)=125169 cos(x)=144169=1213

Jun 25, 2016

sin(x)=5/13sin(x)=513
cos(x)=12/13cos(x)=1213

Explanation:

Use the Pythagorean identity:

sin^2(x)+cos^2(x)=1sin2(x)+cos2(x)=1

Divide through by cos^2(x)cos2(x):

sin^2(x)/cos^2(x)+cos^2(x)/cos^2(x)=1/cos^2(x)sin2(x)cos2(x)+cos2(x)cos2(x)=1cos2(x)

tan^2(x)+1=sec^2(x)tan2(x)+1=sec2(x)

Since tan(x)=5/12tan(x)=512:

25/144+1=sec^2(x)=169/14425144+1=sec2(x)=169144

Thus:

sec(x)=13/12sec(x)=1312

So:

cos(x)=12/13cos(x)=1213

Using the Pythagorean identity again with cos(x)=12/13cos(x)=1213:

sin^2(x)+144/169=1sin2(x)+144169=1

sin^2(x)=25/169sin2(x)=25169

sin(x)=5/13sin(x)=513

Note that the signs of these values (positive/negative) depend on the quadrant of the angle. Since tangent is positive, this could be in either the first or third quadrants, so sine and cosine could be positive or negative, so the positive answers are given as defaults.

Jun 1, 2018

One other method:

tan(x)=5/12tan(x)=512

By the definition of tangent,

sin(x)/cos(x)=5/12sin(x)cos(x)=512

Then we can say:

sin(x)=5/12cos(x)" "" "" "" "(star)sin(x)=512cos(x) ()

We can then substitute (star)() into the Pythagorean identity:

sin^2(x)+cos^2(x)=1sin2(x)+cos2(x)=1

(5/12cos(x))^2+cos^2(x)=1(512cos(x))2+cos2(x)=1

25/144cos^2(x)+cos^2(x)=125144cos2(x)+cos2(x)=1

169/144cos^2(x)=1169144cos2(x)=1

cos^2(x)=144/169cos2(x)=144169

cos(x)=sqrt(144/169)=12/13cos(x)=144169=1213

Then, use sin^2(x)+cos^2(x)=1sin2(x)+cos2(x)=1 again to find sin(x)=5/13sin(x)=513.

Jun 2, 2018

sin x = +- 5/13sinx=±513
cos x = +- 12/13cosx=±1213

Explanation:

tan x = 5/12tanx=512.
x could be either in Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 3.
cos^2 x = 1/(1 + tan^2 x) = 1/(1 + 25/144) = 144/169cos2x=11+tan2x=11+25144=144169
cos x = +- 12/13cosx=±1213
sin^2 x = 1 - cos^2 x = 1 - 144/169 = 25/169sin2x=1cos2x=1144169=25169
sin x = +- 5/13sinx=±513
If x lies in Quadrant 1, cos x and sin x are both positive.
If x lies in Quadrant 3, sin x and cos x are both negative.

Aug 2, 2018

sinx=pm5/13sinx=±513, cosx=pm12/13cosx=±1213

Explanation:

Recall that in a right triangle, the tangent is equal to the opposite side over the adjacent. We know this thru SOH-CAH-TOA.

We know two sides of a triangle, so we can find the third with the Pythagorean Theorem

a^2+b^2=c^2a2+b2=c2

Plugging our aa and bb values in, we get

5^2+12^2=c^252+122=c2

=>25+144=c^225+144=c2

=>169=c^2169=c2

c=13c=13

From this, we know the opposite side is 55, the adjacent side is 1212, and the hypotenuse is 1313.

From SOH-CAH-TOA, we know sine is equal to the opposite side over the hypotenuse. This means that sinx=5/13sinx=513.

We also know that cosine is equal to the adjacent side over the hypotenuse. Thus, cosx=12/13cosx=1213.

Recall that tanx=(sinx)/(cosx)tanx=sinxcosx. Since the negatives cancel out, we can also say

tanx=(-sinx)/(-cosx)tanx=sinxcosx. This means that sinxsinx and cosxcosx can be either both positive or both negative.

Hope this helps!

Aug 3, 2018

Disambiguation answer.

Explanation:

Here, 0 < tan x = 5/12.0<tanx=512. So,

x in Q_1 and = kpi + arctan (5/12), k = 0, 2, 4, 6, ..xQ1and=kπ+arctan(512),k=0,2,4,6,..or

in Q_3 and = kpi + arctan (5/12), k = 1. 3, 5, ....

Easily,

sin x = 5/(+-sqrt( 12^2 + 5^2 )) = +-5/13 and

cos x = +-sqrt ( 1 - sin ^2x)= +- 12/13

If x in (all positive ) Q_1, choose positive values.

Otherwise, both are negative.

If x is chosen in ( 0, 2pi ),

it is either arctan (3/12) =22.62^o = 0.3948 rad, nearly, or

180^o + 22.62^o = 202.62^o = 3.5364 rad, nearly.

See the combined graph of y = tan x, y = sin x and y = cos x,

depicting all these aspects. Slide the graph larr and rarr, to see

x-solutions, as the meet of y = 5/12 with the periodic graph

y = tan x, in infinitude. The circular dots give the answer as y-

values, respectively.

graph{(y-tan x) ( y- sin x ) ( y- cos x )(y- 5/12+0x)(x-0.395+0.001 y)(x-3.536 + 0.0001 y) ((x-0.395)^2+(y-12/13)^2-0.001)((x-3.536)^2+(y+12/13)^2 - 0.001)((x-0.395)^2+(y-5/13)^2-0.001)((x-3.536)^2+(y+5/13)^2-0.001)=0[0 5 -1.2 1-2]}

Thanks to the Socratic graphis potential., for precision graphs.