Find the value of tan(240) using the unit circle
To find the value of $\tan(240)$ using the unit circle, we first determine the corresponding point on the unit circle for an angle of 240 degrees.
240 degrees is in the third quadrant, where the tangent function is positive.
We can subtract 180 degrees to find the reference angle:
$$240^{\circ} – 180^{\circ} = 60^{\circ}$$
The reference angle is 60 degrees. The coordinates for 60 degrees on the unit circle are $\left( \frac{1}{2}, \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \right)$.
Since we are in the third quadrant, both coordinates are negative:
$$\left( -\frac{1}{2}, -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \right)$$
The formula for tangent is:
$$ \tan(\theta) = \frac{y}{x} $$
Thus,
$$ \tan(240^{\circ}) = \frac{-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}{-\frac{1}{2}} = \sqrt{3} $$