Trigonometry · real student question

True or false: csc(7π/6) = −2.

Question

Decide whether the statement is true or false:

csc(7π6)=2\csc\left(\frac{7\pi}{6}\right) = -2

Step-by-step solution

  1. Recall the definition of cosecant. Cosecant is not an inverse function but a reciprocal:

    cscθ=1sinθ\csc\theta = \frac{1}{\sin\theta}

    So the whole question reduces to finding sin(7π6)\sin\left(\tfrac{7\pi}{6}\right) exactly.

  2. Locate the angle and find its reference angle. Write the angle as a rotation past π\pi:

    7π6=π+π6\frac{7\pi}{6} = \pi + \frac{\pi}{6}

    An angle just past π\pi (that is, past 180180^{\circ}) sits in quadrant III, and its reference angle is π6=30\tfrac{\pi}{6} = 30^{\circ}.

  3. Apply the quadrant sign. In quadrant III both xx and yy coordinates on the unit circle are negative, so sine is negative there. With sinπ6=12\sin\tfrac{\pi}{6} = \tfrac12,

    sin(7π6)=12\sin\left(\frac{7\pi}{6}\right) = -\frac{1}{2}

    The unit-circle point is (32,12)\left(-\tfrac{\sqrt3}{2},\, -\tfrac12\right), and the yy-coordinate is the sine.

  4. Take the reciprocal.

    csc(7π6)=112=2\csc\left(\frac{7\pi}{6}\right) = \frac{1}{-\tfrac12} = -2

    A reciprocal keeps the sign, so a negative sine gives a negative cosecant — and since sin=12<1\left|\sin\right| = \tfrac12 < 1, the cosecant must have magnitude greater than 11, consistent with 22.

  5. Answer the true/false question. The statement matches the computed value exactly, so it is true. A numerical check gives 1/sin(7π/6)=2.0000000000000011/\sin(7\pi/6) = -2.000000000000001, the tiny residue being floating-point error rather than a genuine discrepancy.

Answer

True, csc(7π6)=112=2\text{True}, \ \csc\left(\frac{7\pi}{6}\right) = \frac{1}{-\tfrac12} = -2

Need to solve a different problem like this? Open the solver →