Trig Identities: Angle Addition
Main Concept
There are several trig identities used in mathematics, among which are the angle addition and subtraction formulas. These formulas are summarized as follows:
Angle Addition or Angle Subtraction
Equivalent Identity
sinA+B
sinAcosB+cosAsinB
sinA−B
sinAcosB−cosAsinB
cosA+B
cosAcosB−sinAsinB
cosA−B
cosAcosB+sinAsinB
tanA+B
tanA+tanB1−tanAtanB
tanA−B
tanA−tanB1+ tanAtanB
The following questions focus on angle addition. Both the identities for sinA+B and cosA+B can be derived using geometry as shown below.
Select the appropriate radio button and click "Next" to see, step by step, how the identity is derived.
Questions
1. Using the identities in the above table, determine the value of sin(75°).
2. Prove that tanA+B=tanA+tanB1−tanAtanB.
Solutions
Solution 1
You can use the identity sinA+B=sinAcosB+cosAsinB to determine the value of sin(75°):
First, note that 45° + 30° = 75°. This is important, as these angles form one of the special triangles:
From this, you can substitute the two angles into the identity for sinA+B:
sinA+B=sinAcosB+cosAsinB
sin30°+45°=sin30°cos45°+cos30°sin45°
sin75°=1212+3212
sin75°=24+64
sin75°=2+64
Solution 2
First, note that:
tanA+B=sinA+BcosA+B
Keeping this in mind, you can substitute the trig identities for sinA+B and cosA+B and get:
sinAcosB+cosAsinBcosAcosB−sinAsinB
Now, divide every term by cosAcosB:
sinAcosBcosAcosB+cosAsinBcosAcosBcosAcosBcosAcosB−sinAsinBcosAcosB
Simplify this expression as follows:
sinAcosA+sinBcosB1−sinAsinBcosAcosB
Finally, you can simplify this expression further by recalling that tanQ=sinQcosQ:
More MathApps
MathApps/Trigonometry
Download Help Document