"If A is an angle in standard positon, its reference angle is the acute angle formed by the x axis and the terminal side of angle A."
-Dr Abdelkader Dendane, PH.D applied Mathematics
In layman's terms, it's the angle between A (or θ) and the nearest x axis. It is ALWAYS acute; if the angle θ is in the second quadrant, the reference angle is computed by subtracting θ from 180 degrees (180 - θ); third quadrant, by subtracting 180 from θ (θ-180); and fourth quadrant, by subtracting θ from 360 degrees (360 - θ). If the angle θ is located in the first quadrant, there is no math to be done as in that case angle θ is equal to its own reference angle.
Above is a basic illustration of reference angles.
No comments:
Post a Comment