IDNLearn.com is designed to help you find the answers you need quickly and easily. Ask any question and receive timely, accurate responses from our dedicated community of experts.

Find all values of [tex]\theta[/tex], where [tex]0^{\circ} \leq \theta \leq 360^{\circ}[/tex], when [tex]\cos \theta = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}[/tex].

Enter your answers in increasing order.

[tex]\[
\begin{array}{l}
\theta = 150^\circ \\
\theta = 210^\circ
\end{array}
\][/tex]


Sagot :

To find the values of \(\theta\) where \(0^{\circ} \leq \theta \leq 360^{\circ}\) and \(\cos \theta = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\), we can follow these steps:

1. Identify the cosine value:
[tex]\[ \cos \theta = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \][/tex]

2. Understand the key angles where cosine takes on specific values:
[tex]\[ \cos(\theta) = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \][/tex]
The reference angle for \(\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\) is \(30^{\circ}\) because \(\cos(30^{\circ}) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\).

3. Since the cosine function is negative, consider in which quadrants the cosine function is negative:
- Cosine is negative in the second and third quadrants.

4. Calculate the angles in these quadrants given that the reference angle is \(30^{\circ}\):

- In the second quadrant, the angle is found by subtracting the reference angle from \(180^{\circ}\):
[tex]\[ 180^{\circ} - 30^{\circ} = 150^{\circ} \][/tex]

- In the third quadrant, the angle is found by adding the reference angle to \(180^{\circ}\):
[tex]\[ 180^{\circ} + 30^{\circ} = 210^{\circ} \][/tex]

Therefore, the angles where \(\cos \theta = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\) and \(0^{\circ} \leq \theta \leq 360^{\circ}\) are:
[tex]\[ \theta = 150^{\circ} \quad \text{and} \quad \theta = 210^{\circ} \][/tex]

We can write our final answers in increasing order as:
[tex]\[ \begin{array}{ll} \theta = 150^{\circ} \\ \theta = 210^{\circ} \end{array} \][/tex]