(Modeling) Length of a Sag Curve When a highway goes downhill and then uphill, it has a sag curve. Sag curves are designed so that at night, headlights shine sufficiently far down the road to allow a safe stopping distance. See the figure. S and L are in feet. The minimum length L of a sag curve is determined by the height h of the car's headlights above the pavement, the downhill grade θ₁ < 0°, the uphill grade θ₂ > 0°, and the safe stopping distance S for a given speed limit. In addition, L is dependent on the vertical alignment of the headlights. Headlights are usually pointed upward at a slight angle α above the horizontal of the car. Using these quantities, for a 55 mph speed limit, L can be modeled by the formula (θ₂ - θ₁)S² L = ————————— , 200(h + S tan α) where S < L. (Data from Mannering, F., and W. Kilareski, Principles of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons.) Compute length L, to the nearest foot, if h = 1.9 ft, α = 0.9°, θ₁ = -3°, θ₂ = 4°, and S = 336 ft.
Table of contents
- 0. Review of College Algebra4h 43m
- 1. Measuring Angles40m
- 2. Trigonometric Functions on Right Triangles2h 5m
- 3. Unit Circle1h 19m
- 4. Graphing Trigonometric Functions1h 19m
- 5. Inverse Trigonometric Functions and Basic Trigonometric Equations1h 41m
- 6. Trigonometric Identities and More Equations2h 34m
- 7. Non-Right Triangles1h 38m
- 8. Vectors2h 25m
- 9. Polar Equations2h 5m
- 10. Parametric Equations1h 6m
- 11. Graphing Complex Numbers1h 7m
- OLD 1. Angles and the Trigonometric Functions Coming soon
- OLD 2. Trigonometric Functions graphs, Inverse Trigonometric Functions Coming soon
- OLD 3. Trigonometric Identities and Equations Coming soon
- OLD 4. Laws of Sines, Cosines and Vectors Coming soon
- OLD 5. Complex Numbers, Polar Coordinates and Parametric Equations Coming soon
- NEW (not used) 7. Laws of Sines, Cosines and Vectors Coming soon
- NEW (not used) 8. Vectors Coming soon
- NEW(not used) 9. Polar equations Coming soon
- NEW (not used) 11. Graphing Complex Numbers Coming soon
3. Unit Circle
Trigonometric Functions on the Unit Circle
Multiple Choice
Find the sine, cosine, and tangent of each angle using the unit circle.
θ=−1.18 rad, (135,−1312) 
A
B
sinθ=−1312,cosθ=135,tanθ=−512
C
sinθ=1312,cosθ=135,tanθ=125
D
sinθ=135,cosθ=13−12,tanθ=125
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Verified step by step guidance1
Identify the coordinates of the point on the unit circle corresponding to the angle θ = -1.18 rad. From the image, the coordinates are (\(\frac{5}{13}\), -\(\frac{12}{13}\)).
Recall that on the unit circle, the x-coordinate of a point is the cosine of the angle, and the y-coordinate is the sine of the angle. Therefore, \(\cos\)(\(\theta\)) = \(\frac{5}{13}\) and \(\sin\)(\(\theta\)) = -\(\frac{12}{13}\).
To find the tangent of the angle, use the identity \(\tan\)(\(\theta\)) = \(\frac{\sin(\theta)}{\cos(\theta)}\). Substitute the values: \(\tan\)(\(\theta\)) = \(\frac{-\frac{12}{13}\)}{\(\frac{5}{13}\)}.
Simplify the expression for tangent: \(\tan\)(\(\theta\)) = \(\frac{-12}{13}\) \(\times\) \(\frac{13}{5}\) = -\(\frac{12}{5}\).
Verify the results: \(\sin\)(\(\theta\)) = -\(\frac{12}{13}\), \(\cos\)(\(\theta\)) = \(\frac{5}{13}\), \(\tan\)(\(\theta\)) = -\(\frac{12}{5}\). These match the correct answer provided in the problem statement.
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