Concept: Cosine

Learning Goals:
1. Students will understand the cosine function and define it by
a. Realize that cosine is the name of the function
b. Understand that its input (theta) is the measure of an angle starting from the 3
oclock position and measured counterclockwise
c. Comprehend its output is a horizontal distance to the right of the vertical
diameter, measured in radius lengths
i. This means that cosine can have positive and negative values
ii. In order to express this distance in whatever units the length of the radius
is expressed in (inches, feet, etc.), the output of cosine (in radius lengths)
is multiplied by the length of the radius (in length units per radius length)
iii. This distance being measured is the intersection point between the
terminal ray of the angle, and the circle itself. This means that the
maximum distance of the point from the vertical diameter will be 1 radius
length, either to the right (1 radius length) or to the length (-1 radius
length). By measuring in units of radii (instead of feet, inches, etc.) we
can restrict the range of cosine to [-1,1], regardless of the size of the radius
(and therefore the circle)
2. Students will understand the relationship represented by the graph of cosine as being the
relationship between (the measure of an angle from the 3 oclock position measured
counterclockwise) and cos ( )

(a horizontal distance to the right of the vertical

diameter).
a. Students will develop an understanding for the behavior of the graph.
i. Since there is no limit to how open (or closed) the angle being measured
can be, can be any real number. In other words, the
domain of the cosine function is (-,).
ii. Since the output of cosine tracks the horizontal distance to
the right of the vertical diameter in radius lengths, the
maximum distance of the tracked point from that diameter
is one radius length in any direction. Thus, the range of
the cosine function is [-1,1].
iii. Since the cosine function tracks the point of intersection between the
terminal ray of an angle and a circle, the relationship of the input and
output quantity is cyclical, meaning the graphical representation of this
function will repeat itself indefinitely
Prerequisite Understandings:

1. The measure of an angle is the openness between its initial and terminal ray
2. Angle measure can be representing a fractional portion of the circumference of a circle
a. Therefore, the initial and terminal rays of the angle can be said to intersect this
circle, and the distance between the vertex of the angle and this intersection point
is the radius of the circle
3. The difference between radians and radius lengths (radii)
a. Radians are a measure of the openness of an angle (angle measure)
b. Radius lengths (or radii) are a measure of distance or length.
i. By measuring in radius lengths, we are measuring lengths with a ruler the
size of one radius, i.e. 10 feet measured with a ruler of a radius that is 5
feet long is 2 radius lengths
c. There is a one-to-one correlation between the measure of an angle in radians, and
the length of the arc subtended by that same angle in radii, i.e. an angle measuring
one radian subtends an arc with the length of one radius
4. Tying all the way back to when functions were first introduced, students will recall that
functions represent the relationship between two variable quantities. cos ( ) is
function notation for the output of the cosine function for any input . Graphs are just
another visual representation of the relationship in the function (in this case between
and cos ( )
5. The previous lesson(s) will have been on the sine function, and how it relates to circular
motion. ( sin ( ) represents the vertical distance above the horizontal diameter)
Connections:
1. Understanding the behavior of the cosine function stems directly from understanding
function definitions
cos ( ) is an output value obtained by taking an input of and plugging it
a.
into a function named cosine
2. Understanding the graph of cosine ties back to defining meanings for graphs
a. Graphs are a visual representation of the relationship between two varying
quantities, in this case (an angle measure) and cos( ) (the
horizontal distance to the right of the vertical diameter,
measured in radius lengths, of the intersection point of the
terminal ray of the angle and the circle)
b. In finding meanings for the graph, students will have to recall concepts such as
domain and range, and what they mean in the context of angles and circles
Learning Progression:

1. Many students might have had some exposure to trigonometry in the past, but most of
those will probably have only a vague recollection of sine and cosine having something
to do with right triangles. Start by discussing that cosine is the name of a function, one
that relates the measure of an angle (from the 3 oclock position, measured
counterclockwise) to a horizontal distance (in radius lengths) to the right of the horizontal
diameter. In other words, that horizontal distance is being measured by a ruler the size of
the radius of the circle.
2. We would start by using circles of various radius lengths, labeled in units (inches, feet,
centimeters, etc.). For each circle, the x-coordinate would be given for the intersection
point between the circle and terminal ray (thus giving the horizontal distance to the right
of the vertical diameter). Since this distance needs to be measured by a ruler the size of
the ruler, students will get practice taking this length and dividing by the length of the
radius (units will be identical between x-coordinate and radius).
3. Next, by comparing various sized circles at the same angle measure, students are led to
discover that the output of cosine can simply be measured in radius lengths. Since the
unit circle has a radius of one, it can be used as the standard or parent function for
cosine.
4. We would finish the lesson by covering the graph of the cosine function, representing the
relationship between cos ( ) and . Students will explore what happens to the
horizontal distance from the vertical diameter (in radius lengths) as the angle measure
changes. This will result in a graphical representation of a periodic function.
Investigation:
1. Begin with a quick refresher question on tracking a bugs vertical distance above the
horizontal diameter of a circular fan (as the fan rotates counterclockwise with the bug
sitting at the tip of a fan blade. Students are asked to track that vertical distance as the
bug travels from:
a. (This will first and foremost get students attention to start the lesson. It will also
be useful for checking retention of information from the previous lesson. Lastly, it
will encourage students to be in a frame of mind conducive for talking about the
cosine function.)
i. The 3 oclock position to the 12 oclock position
ii. The 12 oclock position to the 9 oclock position
iii. The 9 oclock position to the 6 oclock position
iv. The 6 oclock position to the 3 oclock position
b. Now ask the students to think about what else we can track about the bugs
position as the fan blade rotates, until they come upon tracking the horizontal
distance from a diameter as opposed to the vertical.
c. This is the function named cosine. Like sine, this function takes an input of an
angle measure (measured from the 3 oclock position, counterclockwise), and that
output is measured by a ruler the size of the radius.

2. Give students a circle of radius 5.

Consider the diagram above, with given angle measuring . Specifically, we are
interested in the intersection point between the circle and terminal ray of the angle.
a. How far to the right of the vertical diameter is this point?
(2 units)
b. Since we need to measure this in terms of a ruler the size of the radius, we must
know the length of that ruler. How long is the radius of this circle?
(5 units)
c. So then what is the cosine of the angle?
2
cos ( )=
(
5 )
Now lets try another example. Give students a diagram of a different sized circle.

Now consider the diagram above, with given angle measuring .

a. How far to the right of the vertical diameter is the intersection point this time?
(discuss how left of the vertical diameter results in negative values; -1 units)
b. What is the length of the radius this time?
(3 units)
c. So what is the value of cos ( ) ?
(

cos ( ) =

1
3 )

d. Is it okay that the answer was negative?

(yes, the negative simply signifies that the terminal ray is to the left of the vertical
diameter)
(insert formative assessment 2 here)
3. So, as we saw in the activity just now, if the angle measure is the same, the size of the
circle doesnt impact the output value of cosine.
a. Why was the value of cosine the same for each of those circles?
Explanation: The output of cosine is measured by a ruler the size of the radius. As
the circle grew (or shrank), so did the size of the ruler we were measuring with.
This means that the output of cosine is always in units of radius lengths, or radii.
b. If the output of cosine uses units of radius lengths to measure the horizontal
distance from the vertical diameter, can the output of cosine ever be greater than
1? (or less than -1?) Discuss your thoughts within your table groups.

(walk around and listen to conversations, then after a few minutes bring class
back to lecture)
Explanation: since the points we are interested are all on the circle, they cannot
exceed one whole radius length from the vertical diameter. This means that the
range of possible values for the output of cosine is [-1,1].
c. (Draw students attention back to first circle diagram with radius of 5) But wait, I
thought in this circle, the point was 2 units to the right of the vertical diameter.
That is greater than 1, how is that possible?
Explanation: That 2 units was before measuring in terms of the radius. In radius
lengths, it was only

2
5

to the right of the vertical diameter.

4. Just like with the other functions we have discussed so far, cosine can be represented
graphically. Lets examine the graph of y=cos ( ) .
a. What is the input?
()
b. What is the output?
( cos ( ) )
c. As discussed before, what is the range of the function going to be?
([-1,1])
d. How about the domain? Are there any restrictions on the input, ?
(no, there are no restrictions, which means the domain is (-,))
e. What if we wanted to graph the cosine function in terms of a unit other than
radius lengths? (inches, feet, etc.) Discuss with your group what that might look
like, for a circle with radius of 7cm.
Explanation: If we wish to graph what the cosine function might look like in
terms of centimeters, we have to consider what is changing. The input variable is
an angle measure, so that remains the same as before. The output, on the other
hand, was in terms of radii before. Since each radius has a length of 7cm, that
means each output becomes 7 times as large when measured in centimeters
instead of radius lengths. This means that on the graph, for corresponding input
values, the output of cosine would be seven times as large in magnitude.
(tie that into the understanding then that h ( x )=7 cos ( x) represents the cosine
function for a circle of radius 7, in terms of whatever units the radius is measured
in)
(insert formative assessment 1 here)
Formative Assessment 1:
As an exit ticket, students will be asked to draw two circles with an angle depicted in each, with
the following requirements.

1.

The two circles must be different sizes

The two angles must have terminal rays in different quadrants of the circles
The cosine outputs of the two angles must be equivalent
This question evaluates whether the student understands that the output of cosine is
measured in radius lengths, thus for a given angle measure, the varying size of two circles
has no impact and doesnt change the output of cosine. Students will also be forced to
realize that since cosine evaluates strictly a horizontal distance from the vertical diameter,
output values can match in two different quadrants of the circle.
2. I am including this assessment at the end of the lesson to help unify the ideas covered
about cosine in this lesson. This will help ensure that students are correctly
conceptualizing the meaning of cosine as a function that finds a horizontal distance.
3. One possible solution is given below:

x=2
ft

r = 6 ft

r=3
in

2 1
cos ( )= = =cos ( )
6 3

x=1 in

4. I will use this assessment to determine whether more time needs to be spent in the
following lesson covering the concept of the cosine function.
Rubric for Formative Assessment 1:
Ways of Thinking:
1 pt: Student understands that the two terminal rays need to be on the same side of the vertical
diameter for the outputs of cosine to be equivalent.
1 pt: Student understands that the output of cosine is the x-coordinate (horizontal distance to the
right of the vertical diameter) measured by a ruler the size of the radius (x-coordinate divided by
length of radius).

Correctness:
1 pt each for circles fulfilling requirements for a total of 3 pts.
Formative Assessment 2:
After #2, ask students to identify which cosine output values are equivalent, given the angles
depicted in three different sized circles. Students will have a few moments to work it out in their
table groups, then will show me their answers on their class whiteboards.
x=3 ft

x=2 cm
x=1 in
r = 9 ft

r = 6 cm

r = 3 in

Which are equivalent?

A. cos ( )

B. cos ( )

C. cos ( )

1. This question assesses whether students can calculate the output of the cosine function,
given the radius of a circle and the horizontal distance to the right of the vertical diameter
in same units. It also leads students to the understanding that cos() is measured in
radius lengths.
2. I am including this assessment after #2 because students will have just learned how to
calculate cosine outputs given the radius and the point of intersection between the circle
and terminal ray. They will need to use this information to lead into develop an
understanding for measuring in radii.
3. The solution: students whiteboards should display an answer of all the above or A, B,
and C.
4. This assessment will be used to provide immediate feedback. Students from groups who
obtained the correct answer will be asked to explain their process/thinking, as will
students from groups who did not quite get the correct answer. This will ensure that
students can see that regardless of the size of the circle, the output of cosine is related to
the length of the radius, allowing the investigation to progress.

Summative Assessment:
1. Suppose an angle sweeps out an arc length of 1.15 inches on a circle with a radius of 1.25
inches.
a. What is the measure of the angles swept out (measured in radians)?
1.15

( 1.25
b. Assume the initial ray of the angles is in standard position (passing through the 3
oclock position) and the terminal ray sweeps counterclockwise. What is the
vertical displacement above the horizontal diameter (in radius lengths) of the arcs
ending point?
1.15
sin (
)
(
1.25 )
c. Assume the initial ray of the angles is in standard position (passing through the 3
oclock position) and the terminal ray sweeps counterclockwise. What is the
vertical displacement above the horizontal diameter (in inches) of the arcs ending
point?
1.15
1.25sin (
)
(
1.25 )
d. Assume the initial ray of the angles is in standard position (passing through the 3
oclock position) and the terminal ray sweeps counterclockwise. What is the
horizontal displacement to the right of the vertical diameter (in radius lengths) of
the arcs ending point?
1.15
cos (
)
(
1.25 )
e. Assume the initial ray of the angles is in standard position (passing through the 3
oclock position) and the terminal ray sweeps counterclockwise. What is the
horizontal displacement to the right of the vertical diameter (in inches) of the arcs
ending point?
1.15
1.25cos (
)
(
1.25 )
This question begins by reviewing the concepts of finding an angle measure given
arc length and radius, and working with the concept of sine. Then it follows by
tying into the concepts covered in the cosine lesson.

2.

a. Using the figure above, approximate 2 cos (n) .

(-1.7)
b. Using the figure above, approximate the value of cos ( n) .
(

1.7
)
2

This question assesses the students understanding of what cos(n) represents.

Furthermore, the student must be able to distinguish between values of cosine in
units of radius lengths versus given units.
3.

The relationship in Graph A is defined by f ( x )=cos ( x ) . Define a function

represent the behavior in Graph B.
( g ( x ) =10 cos ( x) )

g to

This question evaluates the students understanding of the graphical representation of

cosine, in particular focusing on transitioning from measuring in radii to measuring in
given units (feet, cm, etc.).
4. A race car starts at the 3 oclock position and drives counterclockwise on a circular track
with a radius of 2.9 miles.
How many miles to the right of the center of the track is the car when the car has traveled
10.9 miles?
10.9
2.9cos (
)
(
2.9 )
This question combines multiple concepts in the process of evaluating the cosine
function. Students must first take an arc length and radius to calculate an angle, then
realize that a horizontal distance to the right of the center of the track means the cosine
function fits. Then their understanding of converting to units of miles is tested again.
5.

From the information given, determine the quadrant in which the terminal point lies.
a. If sin ( a ) <0 and cos ( a )< 0 , then (x,y) lies in quadrant
b. If sin ( a ) >0 and cos ( a )< 0 , then (x,y) lies in quadrant
c. If sin ( a ) >0 and cos ( a )> 0 , then (x,y) lies in quadrant
d. If sin ( a ) <0 and cos ( a )> 0 , then (x,y) lies in quadrant
(3, 2, 1, 4)
This question is used to bring the concepts of sine and cosine together, in
analyzing where in the circle they lie. Students must also realize that in and of
themselves, each function can only limit outputs to half of the circle. When
combined, they can be used to pinpoint a quadrant.
6. Suppose Jim travels 3 radians per minute as he rotates on a Ferris wheel. The Ferris
wheel has a radius of 32 feet. Define a function h that defines Jims horizontal
distane to the right of the vertical diameter of the wheel (in feet) in terms of the number

of minutes elapsed, t , since Jim started to rotate counterclockwise from the 3 oclock
position.
( h ( t ) =32cos ( 3 t ) )
This question requires students to apply their understanding of the cosine function to a
real life situation. The angle measure must be found in terms of the time spent
rotating, then this angle measure is used to find a horizontal distance. Lastly, students
need to remember to convert to units of feet instead of radii.