Big Question Blog Post # 3

Why is a normal tangent graph uphill, but a normal cotangent graph downhill. Use the unit circle ratios to explain. 

The way that the tangent or cotangent graph faces has to do with the asymptotes and with the quadrants where tan/cot is positive or negative in. A normal tangent graph has asymptotes where it is undefined or where x is equal to zero, this will be at 90 degrees and at 270 degrees. After we figure out where our asymptotes are, we need to look at the positive and negative signs and we can draw the curves from there. The pattern for tangent is + - + - so first we draw the graph going upward, then downward, then upward,and  downward again.

A normal cotangent graph goes downhill because we know that cot= x/y. There will be asymptotes where y equals zero and that will be at zero degrees and at 180 degrees.  Next, we need to look at the pattern again, first it is positive, then negative. When we draw the positive side, we need to draw it above the x-axis and when we draw the negative side, we need to draw it below the x-axis.We need to start drawing our graph at the nearest asymptote so that is can go downhill That is how we know that cotangent goes downhill.