Help With Parts III & IV - Stuck on Double Angle Formula

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on solving parts III and IV of a trigonometric problem involving the double angle formula for tangent. The equation provided is tan x tan y = -1/2, which requires the application of the quadratic formula to find the values of tan x and tan y. For part IV, participants are advised to express tan(x+y) in terms of tan x and tan y and utilize the properties of quadratic equations to find the product of the roots.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of trigonometric identities, specifically the double angle formulas.
  • Familiarity with the quadratic formula and its application in solving equations.
  • Knowledge of simultaneous equations and how to manipulate them.
  • Basic algebraic skills, particularly in handling products and sums of roots.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the double angle formula for tangent, specifically tan(2x) = 2tan(x)/(1-tan^2(x)).
  • Learn how to apply the quadratic formula in trigonometric contexts.
  • Research methods for expressing tan(x+y) in terms of tan x and tan y.
  • Explore the concept of roots of quadratic equations, focusing on the sum and product of roots.
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Students studying trigonometry, mathematics educators, and anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of trigonometric identities and quadratic equations.

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I was having trouble with parts iii and iv. I have done i and ii. Please can someone help me with iii and iv. I do not really know where to start for iii and hence iv. I was thinking about the double angle formula for tan, but didnt know what to do with it.

Thanks
 
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For part 3, you are given
\tan x \tan y = -\frac{1}{2}

What do you get when you solve by the quadratic formulae for t?. Let one value be tan x, the other be tan y. Do they satisfy the above?

For part 4, solve by simultaneous equations A and B. Clearly you'll need to express \tan (x+y) in terms of just tan x and tan y.
 
There's an easier way to do this. Do you know how to find the product of roots for a quadratic? For a quadratic of the form ax^2+bx+c=0, the sum of the roots is \frac{-b}{a} and the product is \frac{c}{a}.

Just look at the roots of the quadratic and the product of tanx tany...
 

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