Quadrants: Anti-clockwise from +x-axis
, , . Reflex: Start at the positive x-axis, sweep anti-clockwise, note which quarter the arm lands in.
, , . Reflex: Start at the positive x-axis, sweep anti-clockwise, note which quarter the arm lands in.
Drop a right triangle to the x-axis: x-leg negative in Q2–3, y-leg negative in Q3–4, but the hypotenuse is always positive (it's a distance). The acute angle at the origin is the basic angle α — same fractions as before, only signs change.
Reflex: Never let the hypotenuse go negative; only the legs carry sign.
Q1 all +, Q2 sin only, Q3 tan only, Q4 cos only. Reflex: Deduce it from the signed triangle if you ever blank on it.
Sign clue: Q1 or Q3. Range clue (): Q3 or Q4. Overlap → Q3. Reflex: Write both quadrant lists explicitly before drawing.
Halved equilateral triangle () gives 30°/60°; halved unit square () gives 45°.
Reflex: Redraw the two triangles — thirty seconds, exact values.
Unit square cut on the diagonal: legs 1, 1, hypotenuse . Reflex: Equal legs, so sine and cosine tie and tangent is exactly 1.
Find the basic ratio first, then flip it: . Reflex: SEC pairs with COS, COSEC pairs with SIN — don't match by spelling.
The two acute angles in a right triangle see the same sides swapped.
Reflex: 90°−θ swaps sine ↔ cosine and flips tangent.
Q2 only sin+, Q3 only tan+, Q4 only cos+, Q1 (+360°) unchanged. Reflex: Place the angle in its quadrant and let ASTC hand you the sign.
sits in Q4, so sine flips — but , and . Reflex: Trig functions aren't linear — read signs from quadrants, never factor them out.