Tangent Graph
Main Concept
The tangent function is one of the three primary trigonometric functions. In a right triangle, tangent is the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle and length of the side adjacent to the angle.
tanθ = OppositeAdjacent=sinθcosθ
Explore how the unit circle can be used to construct the graph of tan(θ).
Special values of tangent
θ
0
π4
π2
3 π4
2 π
tanθ
1
Undefined
−1
Note: The vertical lines represent vertical asymptotes as tanθ is undefined at θ=n2π, where n is an odd integer.
Explore how the ratio of sin(θ) and cos(θ) can be used to construct the tan(θ) graph
Notice that whenever cos(θ) (blue graph) has a value of zero, tan(θ) has a vertical asymptote.
More MathApps
MathApps/Trigonometry
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