Imagine the point (11 -8) on the terminal side of an angle. Find the value of the secant of this angle.

Question

amistre64 · Answer

just find the cosine and flip it over ...

anonymous · Answer

How do I do that?

amistre64 · Answer

cosine is a basic trig function that is well defined in your material ...  what are your 3 basic trig function definitions?

anonymous · Answer

Do you mean sin, cos, tan?

amistre64 · Answer

yes

amistre64 · Answer

lol,  that actually got me thinking of something that might make this simpler to do without finding a missing side length

anonymous · Answer

ok

amistre64 · Answer

do you agree that tan(angle) = y/x ?

anonymous · Answer

yes

amistre64 · Answer

there is a pythagorean relationship that goes like this:
$$sin^2+cos^2 = 1$$
$$\frac{1}{cos^2}(sin^2+cos^2 = 1)$$
$$tan^2+1 = sec^2$$
$$\sqrt{tan^2+1} = sec$$

amistre64 · Answer

we are given x and y to play with ...  11, -8.$$\sqrt{(\frac{-8}{11})^2+1}=sec$$

amistre64 · Answer

or we could run thru finding the hypotenuse with:$$r=\sqrt{(-8)^2+(11)^2}$$
$$r=\sqrt{64+121}$$
$$r=\sqrt{185}$$
and therefore cos = 11/sqrt(185)
sec = sqrt(185)/11

simplify as wanted

anonymous · Answer

Thank you.  That was so confusing .Thanks again.

amistre64 · Answer

:)  good luck

anonymous · Answer

I'll need it :)