UNIT Trigonometric Identities

and Formulae
9
Fundamental Identities
1. sin2 A + cos2 A = 1
2. tan2 A + 1 = sec2 A
3. cot2 A + 1 = cosec2 A

Example 1

1 + sin x
Prove that = tan x + cot x + sec x.
sin x cos x

Solution
RHS = tan x + cot x + sec x
sin x cos x 1
= + +
cos x sin x cos x
sin 2 x + cos 2 x + sin x
= (Use the identity sin2 x + cos2 x = 1.)
sin x cos x
1 + sin x
= = LHS (proven)
sin x cos x

104 UNIT 9
 Example 2

1 1
Show that + = 2 cosec2 θ.
1 + cos θ 1 – cos θ

Solution
1 1
LHS = +
1 + cos θ 1 – cos θ
1 – cos θ + 1 + cos θ
=
1 – cos 2 θ
2
= (Use the identity sin2 θ + cos2 θ = 1.)
sin 2 θ
1
= 2 cosec2 θ = RHS (proven) (Recall that cosec θ = .)
sin θ

Example 3

Prove that sec4 θ – sec2 θ = tan2 θ + tan4 θ.

Solution
LHS = sec4 θ – sec2 θ
= sec2 θ (sec2 θ – 1)
= (1 + tan2 θ)(tan2 θ) (Use the identity tan2 θ + 1 = sec2 θ.)
= tan2 θ + tan4 θ = RHS (proven)

Trigonometric Identities and Formulae 105

 Example 4
Find all the angles between 0° and 360° inclusive which satisfy the equation
3 tan2 y + 5 = 7 sec y.

Solution
3 tan2 y + 5 = 7 sec y
3(sec2 y – 1) + 5 = 7 sec y (Use tan2 y + 1 = sec2 y to obtain a
3 sec2 y – 7 sec y + 2 = 0 quadratic equation in sec y.)
(3 sec y – 1)(sec y – 2) = 0
3 sec y – 1 = 0 or sec y – 2 = 0
1
sec y = sec y = 2
3
1
cos y = 3 (no solution) cos y =
2
α = 60°
∴ y = 60°, 300°

………………………………………………………………………………
Compound Angle Formulae
4. sin (A ± B) = sin A cos B ± cos A sin B
5. cos (A ± B) = cos A cos B sin A sin B
tan A ± tan B
6. tan (A ± B) =
1  tan A tan B

106 UNIT 9
 Example 5
Find all the angles between 0° and 360° which satisfy the equation
5 sin (x + 60°) = cos (x – 30°).

Solution
5 sin (x + 60°) = cos (x – 30°)
5[sin x cos 60° + cos x sin 60°] = cos x cos 30° + sin x sin 30°
⎡1 3 ⎤ 3 1
5 ⎢ sin x + cos x⎥ = cos x + sin x
⎣2 2 ⎦ 2 2
5 sin x + 5 3 cos x = 3 cos x + sin x
4 sin x = –4 3 cos x
sin x
tan x = – 3 (Recall that tan x = .)
cos x
α = 60°
∴ x = 120°, 300° (x lies in the 2nd and 4th quadrants.)
………………………………………………………………………………
Special Identities
7. sin (θ + 2nπ) = sin θ, where n is an integer
8. cos (θ + 2nπ) = cos θ, where n is an integer
9. tan (θ + 2nπ) = tan θ, where n is an integer
10. sin (90° ± θ) = cos θ
11. cos (90° ± θ) = sin θ
12. tan (90° ± θ) = cot θ
13. sin (180° ± θ) = sin θ
14. cos (180° ± θ) = –cos θ
15. tan (180° ± θ) = ± tan θ

Trigonometric Identities and Formulae 107

 Double Angle Formulae
16. sin 2A = 2 sin A cos A
17. cos 2A = cos2 A − sin2 A
= 2 cos2 A − 1
= 1 − 2 sin2 A
2 tan A
18. tan 2A =
1 – tan 2 A

Example 6
4
Given that tan θ = – and 270° < θ < 360°, find the value of
3
(i) cos (–θ ),
(ii) cos (90° – θ ),
(iii) sin (180° + θ ),
(iv) sin 2θ.

Solution
(i) cos (–θ) = cos θ
3 y
=
5

(ii) cos (90° – θ) = sin θ

4 θ 3
=– x
5 O

(iii) sin (180° + θ ) = –sin θ –4

5
4
=
5
(iv) sin 2θ = 2 sin θ cos θ
⎛ 4 ⎞⎛ 3⎞
= 2 ⎜– ⎟⎜ ⎟
⎝ 5 ⎠⎝5 ⎠
24
=–
25

108 UNIT 9
 Example 7
127
Given that cos 2x = and 270° < 2x < 360°, find the value of
162
(i) cos x,
(ii) sin x.

Solution
(i) Since 270° < 2x < 360°, then 135° < x < 180°.
∴ x lies in the 2nd quadrant.
127
cos 2x =
162
127
2 cos x –1 =
2
162
289
2 cos x =
2
162
289
cos2 x =
324
289
cos x = ±
324
17
=±
18
17
∴ cos x = – (cos x , 0 since x lies in the 2nd quadrant.)
18

(ii)
y

18
35
18 x
O x
–17

35
sin x =
18

Trigonometric Identities and Formulae 109

 Half Angle Formulae
A
Replace A with in the Double Angle Formulae.
2
A A
19. sin A = 2 sin cos
2 2
2 A 2 A
20. cos A = cos sin
2 2
A
= 2 cos2 –1
2
A
= 1 – 2 sin2
2
A
2 tan
21. tan A = 2
2 A
1 – tan
2

R-Formulae
22. a sin θ + b cos θ = R sin (θ + α)
23. a sin θ − b cos θ = R sin (θ − α) b
where R = a 2 + b 2 and tan α =
24. a cos θ + b sin θ = R cos (θ − α) a

25. a cos θ − b sin θ = R cos (θ + α)

26. For the expression a sin θ ± b cos θ or a cos θ ± b sin θ,
• Maximum value = R
• Minimum value = –R

110 UNIT 9
Example 8
Using the R-formula, find the maximum and minimum values of 6 sin x – 5 cos x
for values of x, where 0° , x , 360°.

Solution
6 sin x – 5 cos x = R sin (x – α)
R = 6 2 + 5 2 = 61
⎛5 ⎞
α = tan–1 ⎜ ⎟
⎝6 ⎠
= 39.8°
∴ 6 sin x – 5 cos x = 61 sin (x – 39.8°)
Minimum value = – 61 (when sin (x – 39.8°) = –1)
Maximum value = 61 (when sin (x – 39.8°) = 1)

Example 9
Solve 3 sin 2x + 2 sin x = 0 for 0° < x < 360°.

Solution
3 sin 2x + 2 sin x = 0
3(2 sin x cos x) + 2 sin x = 0
3 sin x cos x + sin x = 0
sin x (3 cos x + 1) = 0
sin x = 0 or 3 cos x + 1 = 0
1
x = 0°, 180°, 360° cos x = –
3
α = 70.53°
x = 109.5°, 250.5° (The required angles are in the 2nd and 4th quadrants.)

Trigonometric Identities and Formulae 111

 Example 10
π
By expressing 4 cos x − 3 sin x in the form R cos (x + α), where R . 0 and 0 , α <
,
2
(i) obtain the maximum value of 4 cos x − 3 sin x + 5 and the corresponding value
of x,
(ii) solve the equation 4 cos x − 3 sin x = 2.5 for values of x between 0 and 2π
inclusive.

Solution
4 cos x – 3 sin x = R cos (x + α)
R = 4 2 + 32 = 5
3
tan α =
4
α = 0.6435 (to 4 s.f.)
∴ 4 cos x – 3 sin x = 5 cos (x + 0.644)
(i) Maximum value = 5 + 5 (Maximum value of 4 cos x – 3 sin x is 5)
= 10
Maximum value occurs when cos (x + 0.6435) = 1,
i.e. x + 0.6435 = 2π
x = 5.64 (to 3 s.f.)
(ii) 4 cos x – 3 sin x = 2.5
5 cos (x + 0.6435) = 2.5 (Use the expression obtained earlier to solve the
cos (x + 0.6435) = 0.5 equation.)
π
α=
3
x + 0.6435 = 1.047, 5.235 (to 4 s.f.) (x + 0.6435 lies in the 1st and
x = 0.404, 4.59 (to 3 s.f.) 4th quadrants.)

112 UNIT 9