Proof the identities of the sine and cosine sum of angles

In summary, the well known identities of cos(\alpha + \beta)=cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)-sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta) and sin(\alpha + \beta)=sin(\alpha)\cos(\beta)+cos(\alpha)\sin(\beta) can be proven using the Taylor power series for sine and cosine functions. Additionally, the identities can also be shown using the exponential function, e^{ix}=cosx+isinx, and the properties of sine and cosine as odd/even functions.
  • #1
Rulonegger
16
0

Homework Statement


I just have to prove the well known identities:
[tex]\cos(\alpha + \beta)=\cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)-\sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta)[/tex]
[tex]\sin(\alpha + \beta)=\sin(\alpha)\cos(\beta)+\cos(\alpha)\sin( \beta)[/tex]
But the thing is that I've to use the Taylor power series for the sine and cosine functions to prove them.

Homework Equations


They say that the binomial theorem and the Cauchy product would help, but i can't do it, maybe cause I'm a rookie working with infinite sums...
[tex](x+y)^{n}=\sum_{k=0}^{n}{{n \choose k}x^{n-k}y^{k}}[/tex]
[tex](\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{a_{n}})(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{b_{n}})=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{a_{n}b_{n-k}}}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution


I've tried to expand the [itex]\cos(x+y)[/itex] function using the taylor series, and make use of the binomial theorem, getting this:
[tex]\cos(x+y)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}(x+y)^{2n}}=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}\sum_{k=0}^{n}{{2n \choose k}x^{k}y^{2n-k}}}[/tex]
But the expresion using the same formulas for the sine and cosine fo x and y and working the product is
[tex]\cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)-\sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta)=(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}x^{2n}})(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}y^{2n}})-(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n+1)!}x^{2n+1}})(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n+1)!}y^{2n+1}})[/tex]
And using the Cauchy product i get
[tex]\cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)-\sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k))!}x^{2n}y^{2(n-k)}}}-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n+1)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k)+1)!}x^{2n+1}y^{2(n-k)+1}}}[/tex]
So, all I've to prove is that
[tex]\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}\sum_{k=0}^{n}{{2n \choose k}x^{k}y^{2n-k}}}=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k))!}x^{2n}y^{2(n-k)}}}-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n+1)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k)+1)!}x^{2n+1}y^{2(n-k)+1}}}[/tex]
Any ideas?
 
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  • #2
$$\cos(x+y)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^n}{(2n)!}(x+y)^{2n}}=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{ (-1)^n}{(2n)!}\sum_{k=0}^{n}{{2n \choose k}x^{k}y^{2n-k}}}$$
I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but the first thing I noticed is that the rightmost sum should be ##\sum_{k=0}^{2n}##, not ##\sum_{k=0}^{n}##.
 
  • #3
Another thing is that your Cauchy product expression is wrong:
$$(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{a_{n}})(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{b _{n}})=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{a_{n}b_{ n-k}}}$$
The subscript on the ##a## should be ##k##, not ##n##:
$$\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{a_{k}b_{ n-k}}}$$
Both of these errors show up in all of your expressions. After you make the corrections, if you are still stuck, post your new equations and we'll see where to go from there.
 
  • #4
If it were me, I would use a trick. Those power series are convergent for any x and so "uniformly convergent" on any closed and bounded interval. That means, in particular, that they are "term by term" differentiable at any x.

Then, by differentiating the power series, term by term, you arrive at (sin(x))'= cos(x) and (cos(x))'= -sin(x). Differentiating again, (sin(x))''= -sin(x) and (cos(x))''= -cos(x). That is, both y= sin(x) and y= cos(x) satisfy the linear differential equation y''= -y. For initial conditions, again from the power series, for y= cos(x), y(0)= 1, y'(0)= 0 while for y= sin(x), y(0)= 0, y'(0)= 1.

From that you can show that "The solution to the initial value problem, y''= -y, y(0)= A, y'(0)= B, is y(x)= Acos(x)+ Bsin(x)."

Now note that y(x)= sin(x+ a) satisfies y''= -y with y(0)= sin(a) and y'(0)= cos(a) while y(x)= cos(x+a) satisfies y''= -y with y(0)= cos(a) and y'(0)= -sin(a).
 
  • #5
Thanks jbunniii and HallsofIvy. I'm sorry, but I've just made a typing mistake, and I've just copied and pasted the first expression.
So, the correct expression to prove is
[tex]\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\frac{(-1)^{n}}{(2n)!}\sum_{k=0}^{2n}{{2n \choose k}x^{k}y^{2n-k}}}=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^k}{(2k)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k))!}x^{2k}y^{2(n-k)}}}-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^k}{(2k+1)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k)+1)!}x^{2k+1}y^{2(n-k)+1}}}[/tex]
But i don't know how to combine the two terms in the right side of the equation, cause I'm not sure if it is correct to take both sums as a whole, because the two sums to be computed from n=0 to ∞. If not, what should i do?

And HallsofIvy, i think your way is good, but the professor says that we have to prove them with taylor series. Thanks a lot!
 
  • #6
OK, let's work with the right hand side. The first term is
$$\begin{align} &
\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}(-1)^n \sum_{k=0}^{n}
\frac{1}{(2k)!}\frac{1}{(2(n-k))!}x^{2k}y^{2(n-k)} \\
&= \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}(-1)^n \sum_{j=0,\textrm{ } j\textrm{ even }}^{2n} \frac{1}{j!} \frac{1}{(2n-j)!} x^j y^{2n-j}
\end{align}$$
and similarly, the second term becomes
$$\begin{align} &
-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{\sum_{k=0}^{n}{\frac{(-1)^k}{(2k+1)!}\frac{(-1)^{n-k}}{(2(n-k)+1)!}x^{2k+1}y^{2(n-k)+1}}} \\
&= -\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}(-1)^n \sum_{j=1,\textrm{ } j\textrm{ odd}}^{2n+1} \frac{1}{j!} \frac{1}{(2(n+1)-j)!} x^{j} y^{2(n+1)-j} \\
&= \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}(-1)^{n}\sum_{j=1,\textrm{ } j\textrm{ odd}}^{2n-1} \frac{1}{j!} \frac{1}{(2n-j)!} x^{j} y^{2n-j} \\
\end{align}$$
(Hopefully I didn't make any index errors - please check my work.) I think you should be able to simplify this to match the left hand side.
 
  • #7
Thanks jbunniii, you didn't make any error, and you left the problem almost done.
 
  • #8
Rulonegger said:

Homework Statement


I just have to prove the well known identities:
[tex]\cos(\alpha + \beta)=\cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)-\sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta)[/tex]
[tex]\sin(\alpha + \beta)=\sin(\alpha)\cos(\beta)+\cos(\alpha)\sin( \beta)[/tex]
But the thing is that I've to use the Taylor power series for the sine and cosine functions to prove them.

why not use taylor series of sine/cosine to prove [tex]e^{ix}=cosx+isinx[/tex] then let [itex]x=\alpha + \beta[/itex] giving us [tex]e^{i(\alpha + \beta)}=cos(\alpha + \beta)+isin(\alpha + \beta)[/tex] knowing [itex]e^{i(\alpha + \beta)}=e^{\alpha}e^{\beta}[/itex] allows us to write: [tex]cos(\alpha + \beta)+isin(\alpha + \beta)=(cos{\alpha}+isin{\alpha})(cos{\beta}+isin{\beta})[/tex] now simply perform the multiplication and equate each side of the equation, letting the real and imaginary sides equal. for the subtraction let [itex]\beta=-\beta[/itex] and use properties of sine and cosine as odd/even functions, which you can do since you know the series expansion!
 

1. What are the sine and cosine sum of angles identities?

The sine and cosine sum of angles identities are mathematical equations that show the relationship between the trigonometric functions of the sum or difference of two angles and the trigonometric functions of those individual angles.

2. How do you prove the identities of sine and cosine sum of angles?

The identities of sine and cosine sum of angles can be proven using basic algebraic manipulations and the definitions of the trigonometric functions. It involves breaking down the expressions into simpler forms and then using known trigonometric identities to transform them into the desired form.

3. Why are the sine and cosine sum of angles identities important?

The identities of sine and cosine sum of angles are important because they allow us to simplify and solve complex trigonometric equations. They also have many practical applications in fields such as physics, engineering, and astronomy.

4. Can you provide an example of proving a sine or cosine sum of angles identity?

One example would be proving the identity sin(A + B) = sin(A)cos(B) + cos(A)sin(B). This can be done by using the sum formula for sine (sin(A + B) = sin(A)cos(B) + cos(A)sin(B)) and the double angle formula for cosine (cos(2x) = 2cos^2(x) - 1). After some algebraic manipulation, the two expressions can be shown to be equivalent.

5. Are there any tips or tricks for proving sine and cosine sum of angles identities?

One helpful tip is to look for patterns and symmetries in the expressions. For example, if the expression involves both sine and cosine terms, try to group them together and see if you can use a known identity (such as the sum or difference formula) to simplify the expression. It is also important to be familiar with the definitions and properties of the trigonometric functions.

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