Find The Following Trigonometric Ratios Using A Calculator Cot 60º

How to find cot 60º using a calculator

Calculating the cotangent of 60 degrees involves using your calculator's trigonometric functions. Here's a simple process:

1. Ensure your calculator is in degree mode (not radian mode)
2. Enter the angle: 60
3. Press the cotangent function (often labeled as "cot" or "tan⁻¹")
4. Read the result from the display

Cotangent formula and explanation

The cotangent of an angle is defined as the ratio of the adjacent side to the opposite side in a right-angled triangle. The formula is:

For θ = 60º, we know from standard trigonometric values that:

• cos 60º = 0.5
• sin 60º = √3/2 ≈ 0.8660

Therefore, cot 60º = 0.5 / 0.8660 ≈ 0.5774

Step-by-step calculation

1. Set your calculator to degree mode
2. Enter 60
3. Press the cosine function to get cos 60º = 0.5
4. Enter 60 again
5. Press the sine function to get sin 60º ≈ 0.8660
6. Divide the cosine result by the sine result: 0.5 ÷ 0.8660 ≈ 0.5774

This gives you the exact value of cot 60º, which is approximately 0.5774.

Worked example

Let's calculate cot 60º using a calculator:

1. Press the degree mode button (usually labeled "DEG")
2. Type "60" and press the cosine button: result is 0.5
3. Type "60" again and press the sine button: result is ≈0.8660
4. Divide 0.5 by 0.8660: result is ≈0.5774

The exact value of cot 60º is √3/3 ≈ 0.5774. Your calculator should display this value when properly configured.