Why is the reference angle the angle the terminal side and the x-axis instead of the y-axis?

Question

asked Feb 14, 2021 60.8k views

1 Answer

Brighton · Answer 1 · 2021-02-20T10:27:56+0000

Answer:

If necessary, first "unwind" the angle: Keep subtracting 360 from it until it is lies between 0 and 360°. (For negative angles add 360 instead).

Sketch the angle to see which quadrant it is in.

Depending on the quadrant, find the reference angle: