Step 1: Convert
, which is in radians into degrees. To convert it multiply by


900/12
75
Step 2: 75 degrees isn't on the unit circle but 45 degrees and 30 degrees is. Since 45 + 30 = 75 you can use the cosine of 45 and 30 to find the exact value
cos45 =

cos30 =

Step 3: Add the cos45 and cos30 to get cos5pi/12

Hope this helped!