Which of the following best explains why [tex]\cos \frac{2 \pi}{3} \neq \cos \frac{5 \pi}{3}[/tex]?

A. The angles do not have the same reference angle.
B. Cosine is negative in the second quadrant and positive in the fourth quadrant.
C. Cosine is positive in the second quadrant and negative in the fourth quadrant.
D. The angles do not have the same reference angle or the same sign.



Answer :

To determine why [tex]\(\cos \frac{2 \pi}{3} \neq \cos \frac{5 \pi}{3}\)[/tex], let's analyze the given angles and their respective cosine values step-by-step.

1. Convert the Angles to Decimal Degrees:
- [tex]\(\frac{2 \pi}{3}\)[/tex] radians is equivalent to [tex]\(120^\circ\)[/tex].
- [tex]\(\frac{5 \pi}{3}\)[/tex] radians is equivalent to [tex]\(300^\circ\)[/tex].

2. Determine the Quadrants:
- An angle of [tex]\(120^\circ\)[/tex] (or [tex]\(\frac{2 \pi}{3}\)[/tex]) is located in the second quadrant.
- An angle of [tex]\(300^\circ\)[/tex] (or [tex]\(\frac{5 \pi}{3}\)[/tex]) is located in the fourth quadrant.

3. Characteristics of Cosine in Different Quadrants:
- In the second quadrant, the cosine of an angle is negative.
- In the fourth quadrant, the cosine of an angle is positive.

4. Calculate or Use Known Values of Cosines:
- [tex]\(\cos \frac{2\pi}{3} \approx -0.5\)[/tex].
- [tex]\(\cos \frac{5\pi}{3} \approx 0.5\)[/tex].

5. Compare the Cosine Values:
- These values confirm that [tex]\(\cos \frac{2\pi}{3}\)[/tex] is negative and [tex]\(\cos \frac{5\pi}{3}\)[/tex] is positive.

Now, given the information and the properties of cosine in various quadrants:
- The correct explanation is: Cosine is negative in the second quadrant and positive in the fourth quadrant.

The specific cosine values are:
- [tex]\(\cos \frac{2 \pi}{3} \approx -0.5\)[/tex].
- [tex]\(\cos \frac{5 \pi}{3} \approx 0.5\)[/tex].

Thus, through the characteristics of the cosine function in different quadrants, we see that [tex]\(\cos \frac{2 \pi}{3} \neq \cos \frac{5 \pi}{3}\)[/tex] because cosine takes different signs in the second and fourth quadrants.