Is there an easier way to memorize the Unit Circle?

Answer 1

It depends on what part of it you want to memorise. If you want to remember whether sin, cos, tan etc are +ve, -ve etc... then the best way is to:

1. remember the standard right-angle triangle view of sin and cos in the 1st (all positive) quadrant. You only need to remember one of sin or cos (eg. sin = y-distance / hypotenuse), and just remember that the other one is the other side (eg. cos = x-distance). Of course, you also need to remember that tan = sin/cos.

2. Then, just complete the full circle with the X-Y axis in the middle. If you know the +ve and -ve directions for the x and y axes, then you should be OK.

3. I ALWAYS advise people to learn to quickly SKETCH the unit circle. There are many things you can figure out from a sketch which are very difficult to remember or figure out in your head.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

x^2 + y^2 = 1

Answer 3

You can use the special triangles 30, 60, 90 and 45, 45, 90. the sides of which are 1, √3, 2 and 1, 1, √2 respecively. Use SohCahToa to find the values you need then remember one simple phrase for the signs "All Students Take Calculus" "All, Sine, Tangent, Cosine" this refers to what is positive in that quatrant "I, II, III, IV". S | A ------- T | C like that. Hope this all helps.

Answer 4

Picture The Pythagoras theorem as

A^2 + B^2 = C^2 A^2+B^ = 1, the hypotenuse is
always one and the right angle vertex is {0,0} on the Cartesian plane. This always works.
A = height of triangle
B = base of triangle
C = hypotenuse

Answer 5

I'm just learning the Unit Circle, but it seems to me that you should just understand how it works, and why the figures go where they go. Once you get that down, "memorizing" it will just be a piece of cake.

Answer 6

i think better use phythagoras theorem as
A^2+B^2=C^2A^2+B^=1
the right angle vertex is(0,0)on the cartesian plane and the hypotenuse is always one...
A=is the height of the triangle
B=is the base of triangle
C+is the hypotenuse
i hope this way can help youre problem in math..(",<