
Education Content Expert
Cos 360° is a trigonometric function that represents the angle in the fourth quadrant. Cos 360° is also referred to as cosine 360 degrees. The value of Cos 360° is 1. The angle 360° is greater than 270° and less than or equal to 360°. The angle of 360° also symbolizes full rotation in a xy-plane. The value of cos lies in the fourth quadrant, i.e. between 270° to 360°, and is always positive. Thus, cos 360° is a positive value. Cos 360° in radians is written as cos (360° × π/180°), i.e. cos (2π) or cos (6.283185. . .).
Read More: NCERT Solutions For Class 11 Mathematics Trigonometric Functions
| Table of Content |
Key Terms: Cos 360 Degrees, Trigonometric Functions, Trigonometric Identities, Angle, Radians, Cosine, Unit Circle, Theta
Cos 360 Value
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
The value of cos 360° is 1. Cos 360 degrees is expressed using the equivalent of the given angle (360 degrees) in radians (6.28318 . . .).
The degrees to radians conversion is done as:
- θ in radians = θ in degrees × (pi/180°)
- 360 degrees = 360° × (π/180°) rad = 2π or 6.2831 . . .
Therefore,
| cos 360° = cos(6.2831) = 1 |
Explanation
The angle 360° lies on the positive x-axis for cos 360 degrees. Thus the value of cos 360° = 1.
Cosine function is a periodic function, which means that it can be represented as,
- cos 360 degrees = cos(360° + n × 360°), n ∈ Z.
- cos 360° = cos 720° = cos 1080°, and so on.
Also, as cosine is an even function, the value of cos (-360°) = cos (360°).

Cos 360o Value
Read More:
| Relevant Concepts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cosine Rule | Cosine Formula | Direction Cosines |
| Sin Cos Formulas | Sin Cos Tan | Cos 0 |
How to Find Cos 360 Degrees?
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
The value of cos 360° is equivalent to 1. But, one must be clear with how cos 360 degrees is assigned the value 1. The value of cos 360 degrees can be calculated through two methods which are:
- Using Trigonometric Functions
- Using Unit Circle
Both of these methods provide us with the value of cos 360° which is 1.
Read More: Trigonometric Functions Important Questions
Cos 360 Degrees Using Trigonometric Functions
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
We can represent cos 360 degrees using trigonometry formulas which are as follows:
- ± √(1-sin2(360°))
- ± 1/√(1 + tan2(360°))
- ± cot 360°/√(1 + cot2(360°))
- ±√(cosec2(360°) - 1)/cosec 360°
- 1/sec 360°
360° lies on the positive x-axis, which means that the final value of cos 360° will be positive.
Cos 360 Degrees Identities
The trigonometric identities can be used to represent cos 360° as,
- cos 360° = sin (90°+360°) = sin 450°
- cos 360° = sin (90°-360°) = sin -270°
- -cos 360° = cos (180°+360°) = cos 540°
- -cos 360° = cos (180°-360°) = cos -180°
Cos 360 Degrees Using Unit Circle
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
The value of cos 360 degrees can also be calculated using the unit circle:
- Rotate ‘r’ in an anticlockwise direction to form a 0° or 360° angle with the positive x-axis.
- Cos 360 degrees equals the x-coordinate(1) of the point of intersection (1, 0) of the unit circle and r.
Thus, the value of cos 360° = x = 1.

Cos 360 Degrees Using Unit Circle
Trigonometry Ratio Table
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
The trigonometry ratio table represents the values both in radians and degrees which can be used to solve a lot of problems.
| Trigonometry Ratio Table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angles (In Degrees) | 0° | 30° | 45° | 60° | 90° | 180° | 270° | 360° |
| Angles (In Radians) | 0° | π/6 | π/4 | π/3 | π/2 | π | 3π/2 | 2π |
| sin | 0 | 1/2 | 1/√2 | √3/2 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| cos | 1 | √3/2 | 1/√2 | 1/2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| tan | 0 | 1/√3 | 1 | √3 | ∞ | 0 | ∞ | 0 |
| cot | ∞ | √3 | 1 | 1/√3 | 0 | ∞ | 0 | ∞ |
| cosec | ∞ | 2 | √2 | 2/√3 | 1 | ∞ | -1 | ∞ |
| sec | 1 | 2/√3 | √2 | 2 | ∞ | -1 | ∞ | 1 |
Cos 360 – Theta
The value of the expression cos 360 – theta, i.e. cos(360° – θ) will be
cos(360° – θ) = cos(4 × 90° – θ)
90° is multiplied by 4 which is an even number, thus, cos will not change. Since 360° – θ comes in the fourth quadrant, cos is always positive. Therefore,
| cos(360° – θ) = cos θ |
Cos 360 + Theta
The value of expression cos 360 + theta i.e. cos(360° + θ) will be as follows
cos(360° + θ) = cos(4 × 90° + θ)
90° is multiplied by 4 which is an even number, so cos will not change. Since, 360° + θ comes in the fourth quadrant, where all trigonometric ratios are positive, thus, cos is also positive.
| cos(360° + θ) = cos θ |
Thus, it can be said that the value of cos 360 + theta is equal to cos theta.
Also Check:
| Related Topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Value of Tan 15 Degrees | Value of Cos 30 Degrees | Value of Cos 60 Degrees |
| Cos Inverse Formula | 2 Cos A Cos B Formula | Cos2x Formula |
Solved Examples on Cos 360 Degrees
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
Example 1: What will be the value of 7 (cos 360°/sin 450°)?
Solution: It is known that,
cos 360° = sin 450°
So, 7 cos 360°/sin 450° = 7 (cos 360°/cos 360°)
= 7(1) = 7
Thus, the value of 7 (cos 360°/sin 450°) is 7.
Example 2: What will be the value of (cos2 180° - sin2 180°)?
Solution: We will use the cos 2a formula here,
(cos2 180° - sin2 180°) = cos(2 × 180°) = cos 360°
∵ cos 360° = 1
(cos2 180° - sin2 180°) = 1
Thus, the value of (cos2 180° - sin2 180°) is 1.
Things to Remember
- Cos 360° is a function that symbolizes the angle in the fourth quadrant.
- Cos 360° is also known as Cosine 360.
- The value of cos 360° is 1.
- The value of cos 360° is always positive.
- Cos 360° in radians is expressed as cos (2π) or cos (6.2831853 . . .).
- The value of Cos 360° can be calculated using trigonometric functions and the unit circle.
Previous Years’ Questions
- The area bounded by the curves y = cos x and y = sin x… (VITEEE 2015)
- The value of sin(45∘+θ)−cos(45∘-θ) is…
- If cos x = |sin x| then, the general solution is… (KCET 2019)
- The trigonometric equation sin-1 x = 2 sin-1a has a solution…
- The maximum value of sin θ cos θ is…
- If sin A, sin B, cos A are in GP, then the roots of… (BITSAT 2005)
- The possible values of θ∈(0,π) such that sin… (AIEEE 2011)
- If a = 5, b = 13, c = 12 in ΔABC, then tan… (COMEDK UGET 2007)
- The number of solutions of the equation… (COMEDK UGET 2015)
- Find the principal value tan −1…
Sample Questions
Ques. Calculate the value of 2 cos(360°)/3 sin(-270°). (3 Marks)
Ans. Using the trigonometric identities, we get
cos(360°) = sin(90° - 360°) = sin(-270°).
cos(360°) = sin (-270°)
Value of 2 cos(360°)/3 sin(-270°) = 2/3
Thus, the value of 2 cos(360°)/3 sin(-270°) is 2/3.
Ques. What is meant by Cos 360 Degrees? (2 Marks)
Ans. Cos 360 degrees refers to the value of the cosine trigonometric function for an angle equal to 360 degrees. The value of cos 360 degrees is equal to 1.
Ques. How to find the value of Cos 360°? (3 Marks)
Ans. In order to find out the value of Cos 360°, the first step is to construct a 360° angle with the X-axis. The coordinates of the corresponding points are then determined on the unit circle which are (1,0). It can be seen that the value of the angle of 360° is equal to the coordinate on the x-axis which is equal to one. Thus, the value of the cosine of 360° is equal to one.
Ques. Find the value of Cos 360 Degrees in terms of Cot 360°. (2 Marks)
Ans. Cosine function in trigonometry can be expressed in terms of the cotangent function using trigonometric identities. Cos 360° can be written as cot 360°/√(1 + cot2(360°)).
Ques. How to write Cos 360° in forms of other Trigonometric Functions? (2 Marks)
Ans. The value of cos 360° can be given in terms of other trigonometric functions as
- ± √(1 – sin2(360°))
- ± 1/√(1 + tan2(360°))
- ± cot 360°/√(1 + cot2(360°))
- ± √(cosec2(360°) - 1)/cosec 360°
- 1/sec 360°
Ques. Mention the exact value of cos 360 Degrees. (1 Mark)
Ans. The exact value of cos 360 degrees is given as 1.
Ques. How can the cosine of an angle be calculated? (2 Marks)
Ans. The cosine of an angle denotes the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse. The cosine of an angle is calculated using the following equation:
cos(angle) = adjacent/hypotenuse
Ques. What are trigonometric functions? (2 Marks)
Ans. Trigonometric functions are defined as the periodic functions which denote the relationship between the angle and sides of a right-angled triangle. There are six functions of an angle namely sine (sin), cosine (cos), tangent (tan), cotangent (cot), secant (sec), and cosecant (cosec).
Ques. What is cos 360 minus theta? (2 Marks)
Ans. The value of cos 360 minus theta is θ. It is calculated as follows:
cos 360 – theta = cos(360° – θ) will be
cos(360° – θ) = cos(4 × 90° – θ)
Since 360° – θ comes in the fourth quadrant, cos is always positive.
Therefore, cos(360° – θ) = cos θ
Ques. Write the value of Cosec 360 degrees. (1 Mark)
Ans. The value of cosec 360° is equal to the reciprocal of the y-coordinate (0) which means cosec 360° = undefined(∞).
Check-More:







Comments