A ray on the positive x-axis is rotated −450°

. What is the cosine of the angle formed by this rotation?

1 answer

To find the cosine of the angle formed by rotating a ray on the positive x-axis by -450°, we can follow these steps:

  1. Determine the equivalent angle within the standard range: Angles are often expressed in a range from 0° to 360°. To get an equivalent angle for -450°, we can add 360° until we find a positive angle:

    \[ -450° + 360° = -90° \] \[ -90° + 360° = 270° \]

    So, -450° is equivalent to 270°.

  2. Find the cosine of the equivalent angle: The cosine of 270° can be determined using the unit circle:

    \[ \cos(270°) = 0 \]

Thus, the cosine of the angle formed by the rotation of the ray is \( \boxed{0} \).