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Ch. 3 - Trigonometric Identities and Equations
Chapter 3, Problem 11

In Exercises 7–14, use the given information to find the exact value of each of the following: a. sin 2θ cot θ = 2, θ lies in quadrant III.

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Step 1: Understand the given information. We know that \( \cot \theta = 2 \) and \( \theta \) is in quadrant III. In quadrant III, both sine and cosine are negative.
Step 2: Use the identity \( \cot \theta = \frac{\cos \theta}{\sin \theta} \) to express \( \cos \theta \) and \( \sin \theta \) in terms of each other. Since \( \cot \theta = 2 \), we have \( \frac{\cos \theta}{\sin \theta} = 2 \).
Step 3: Express \( \cos \theta \) in terms of \( \sin \theta \): \( \cos \theta = 2 \sin \theta \).
Step 4: Use the Pythagorean identity \( \sin^2 \theta + \cos^2 \theta = 1 \) to find \( \sin \theta \). Substitute \( \cos \theta = 2 \sin \theta \) into the identity: \( \sin^2 \theta + (2 \sin \theta)^2 = 1 \).
Step 5: Solve the equation \( \sin^2 \theta + 4 \sin^2 \theta = 1 \) to find \( \sin \theta \). Then, use the double angle identity \( \sin 2\theta = 2 \sin \theta \cos \theta \) to find \( \sin 2\theta \).

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Key Concepts

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

Cotangent Function

The cotangent function, denoted as cot(θ), is the reciprocal of the tangent function. It is defined as cot(θ) = cos(θ) / sin(θ). In this problem, we know that cot(θ) = 2, which implies that the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side in a right triangle is 2:1. This information is crucial for determining the sine and cosine values needed to find sin(2θ).
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Sine Double Angle Formula

The sine double angle formula states that sin(2θ) = 2sin(θ)cos(θ). This formula allows us to calculate the sine of an angle that is double the original angle by using the sine and cosine of the original angle. To apply this formula effectively, we first need to find the values of sin(θ) and cos(θ) based on the given cotangent value.
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Quadrants and Sign of Trigonometric Functions

Trigonometric functions have different signs depending on the quadrant in which the angle lies. In quadrant III, both sine and cosine are negative, while tangent and cotangent are positive. Since θ is in quadrant III, we must ensure that when we calculate sin(θ) and cos(θ), we assign them negative values to reflect their signs in this quadrant, which is essential for accurately determining sin(2θ).
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