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Henry is asked to find the exact value of \( \cos \frac{10 \pi}{3} \). His steps are shown below. 1. Subtract \( 2 \pi \) from \( \frac{10 \pi}{3} \) as many times as possible: \( \frac{10 \pi}{3}-2 \pi=\frac{4 \pi}{3} \) 2. Find the reference angle for \( \frac{4 \pi}{3}: \frac{3 \pi}{2}-\frac{4 \pi}{3}=\frac{\pi}{6} \). 3. The cosine value for \( \frac{\pi}{6} \) is \( \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \). 4. The cosine value is positive because \( \frac{\pi}{6} \) is in the first quadrant. Which of the following describes Henry's errors?

Ask by Vargas Robbins. in the United States
Mar 11,2025

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Answer

Henry made two mistakes: 1. He incorrectly calculated the reference angle for \(\frac{4\pi}{3}\) as \(\frac{\pi}{6}\) instead of \(\frac{\pi}{3}\). 2. He incorrectly stated that the cosine value is positive, when it should be negative in the third quadrant. So, the correct cosine value is \(-\frac{1}{2}\).

Solution

Henry made two main errors: - In step 2, the reference angle for an angle in the third quadrant is found by subtracting \( \pi \) from the angle. For \(\frac{4\pi}{3}\), the correct reference angle is: \[ \frac{4\pi}{3} - \pi = \frac{\pi}{3}. \] Henry incorrectly computed it as: \[ \frac{3\pi}{2} - \frac{4\pi}{3} = \frac{\pi}{6}. \] - In step 4, the cosine of an angle in the third quadrant should be negative. Even if the reference angle were correctly identified (as \(\frac{\pi}{3}\)), the cosine value is: \[ \cos \frac{\pi}{3} = \frac{1}{2}, \] so the actual value should be: \[ \cos \frac{4\pi}{3} = -\frac{1}{2}. \] Henry mistakenly used the cosine value for \(\frac{\pi}{6}\) and assumed it was positive. Thus, Henry’s errors are miscalculation of the reference angle and incorrect determination of the sign of the cosine in the third quadrant.

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Beyond the Answer

Henry's first error lies in the incorrect identification of the cosine value's sign. Since \( \frac{4 \pi}{3} \) is in the third quadrant, the cosine is actually negative, leading to a final answer of \( -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \). Additionally, when Henry calculated the reference angle, he should have utilized the fact that reference angles are found using \( \theta - \pi \) for angles in the third quadrant, rather than subtracting from \( \frac{3 \pi}{2} \), which is not necessary in this case.

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