MHB How Can the Sum of Sines Be Expressed Using a Trigonometric Identity?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on expressing the sum of sines, specifically showing that the sum from 0 to n of sin k equals the formula sin(n/2)sin((n+1)/2)/sin(1/2). Participants acknowledge the elegance of this telescopic sum and commend the explanation provided. The interaction highlights the appreciation for mathematical skills and the collaborative nature of problem-solving in trigonometry. Overall, the thread emphasizes the beauty of trigonometric identities in simplifying complex sums.
anemone
Gold Member
MHB
POTW Director
Messages
3,851
Reaction score
115
Show that $\displaystyle \sum_{k=0}^n \sin k=\dfrac{\sin \dfrac{n}{2} \sin\dfrac{n+1}{2}}{\sin \dfrac{1}{2}}$.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
anemone said:
Show that $\displaystyle \sum_{k=0}^n \sin k=\dfrac{\sin \dfrac{n}{2} \sin\dfrac{n+1}{2}}{\sin \dfrac{1}{2}}$.

This is telescopic sum
We have $2 \sin k\, sin \dfrac{1}{2} = \cos (k- \dfrac{1}{2}) – \cos (k+ \dfrac{1}{2})$

Adding it from $\displaystyle \sum_{k=0}^n \sin k \sin \dfrac{1}{2}$
= $\cos(-\dfrac{1}{2}) – \cos(n+ \dfrac{1}{2})$
= $\cos(\dfrac{1}{2}) – \cos(n+ \dfrac{1}{2})$
= $2 sin \dfrac{n}{2} sin \dfrac{n+1}{2}$
By deviding both sides by $2\sin \dfrac{1}{2}$ we get the result
 
That's a neat skill, kali! Well done!:cool:
 
anemone said:
That's a neat skill, kali! Well done!:cool:

Thanks anemone. It was so nice of you.
 
Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagorus'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...
Back
Top