Devin's Reflection

Simplifying Trig Function

1. Check identities

2. Algebra (factoring, combining like terms, and fraction)

3. Check identites

Some Proofs to help

-cotx= cosx/sinx

-tanx= sinx/cosx

-1+cot^2x=csc^2x

-1+tan^2x=sec^2x

sin^2+cos^2=1

The way to simplify is to find and rearrange the functions in a way the makes them resemble one of the proofs. After you have done that then you use the proofs to replace something in the equation. And then you keep repeating those steps until you can not do it anymore without making the equation bigger.

Ex. Prove sec^4x-tan^4x/sec^2x

(sec^2x-tan^2x)(sec^2x+tan^2x)/sec^2x

1=sec^2x-tan^2x

1(sec^2x+tan^2x)/sec^2x

sin^2x/cos^2x/1

=1+sin/2x


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