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Ch. 3 - Trigonometric Identities and Equations
Chapter 3, Problem 15

In Exercises 14–19, use a sum or difference formula to find the exact value of each expression. sin 195°

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Recognize that 195° can be expressed as a sum or difference of angles with known sine values, such as 195° = 180° + 15°.
Use the sine sum formula: \( \sin(a + b) = \sin a \cos b + \cos a \sin b \).
Substitute \( a = 180° \) and \( b = 15° \) into the formula: \( \sin(180° + 15°) = \sin 180° \cos 15° + \cos 180° \sin 15° \).
Recall the exact values: \( \sin 180° = 0 \) and \( \cos 180° = -1 \).
Substitute these values into the equation and simplify: \( \sin 195° = 0 \cdot \cos 15° + (-1) \cdot \sin 15° \).

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Sum and Difference Formulas

Sum and difference formulas are trigonometric identities that express the sine, cosine, and tangent of the sum or difference of two angles. For sine, the formula is sin(a ± b) = sin(a)cos(b) ± cos(a)sin(b). These formulas are essential for breaking down angles that are not standard, such as 195°, into manageable components that can be evaluated using known values.
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Reference Angles

A reference angle is the acute angle formed by the terminal side of an angle and the x-axis. For angles greater than 180°, like 195°, the reference angle helps determine the sine, cosine, and tangent values by relating them to angles in the first quadrant. The reference angle for 195° is 195° - 180° = 15°, which is crucial for finding the exact value of sin(195°).
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Unit Circle

The unit circle is a circle with a radius of one centered at the origin of a coordinate plane. It provides a geometric representation of the sine and cosine functions, where the x-coordinate corresponds to cosine and the y-coordinate corresponds to sine. Understanding the unit circle is vital for evaluating trigonometric functions at various angles, including those expressed in degrees like 195°.
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