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Cos(90 degrees + theta ) = - sin theta , why?

1 Answer

3 votes

Explanation:

cos(x + y) = cos(x)cos(y) - sin(x)sin(y)

x = theta

y = 90°

cos(90) = 0

sin(90) = 1

cos(x)×0 - sin(x)×1 = - sin(x)

remember slopes of lines ?

and how the coordinates and the slope changed for a perpendicular line ?

the slope is y/x, and for the perpendicular line this turned into -x/y.

the same happens here.

sin(x) and cos(x) are the x and y coordinates of a point on the circle with the angle x to the horizontal axis.

if you add 90° to the angle, you create a perpendicular line or angle, and the coordinates follow the slope rules : cos turns into sin and vice versa, and the sign has to flip.

User KoenHuybrechts
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