How Do You Simplify Complex Trigonometric Expressions?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
5 replies · 5K views
stuck
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
there's a few...
Write each expression as a single trigonometric ratio or as the number 1.


1) sint+(cott)(cost)

2) (sec x)(sin^2x)(csc x)


For number one I went like this:
sin t + ((1/cot)(cos/1))
sin t + (cos t/cot t)
sin t + (cos t/1)( sin t/cos x)
(sin t cos t)/1 + (sin t cot t)/1

But then I get stuck.


For number 2 I went like this:
(secx)(sin^2x)(cscx)
(1/cosx)(sin^2x/1)(1/sinx)
sin^2x/(cosx)(sinx)

But then I got stuck again. :confused:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
stuck said:
there's a few...
Write each expression as a single trigonometric ratio or as the number 1.1) sint+(cott)(cost)

2) (sec x)(sin^2x)(csc x)


For number one I went like this:
sin t + ((1/cot)(cos/1))
sin t + (cos t/cot t)
sin t + (cos t/1)( sin t/cos x)
(sin t cos t)/1 + (sin t cot t)/1

But then I get stuck. For number 2 I went like this:
(secx)(sin^2x)(cscx)
(1/cosx)(sin^2x/1)(1/sinx)
sin^2x/(cosx)(sinx)

But then I got stuck again. :confused:

sint+(cott)(cost)

[tex]= sint + \frac{cos^2 t}{sint} = \frac{?+??}{sint}[/tex][tex]secx*sin^2x*cosecx=\frac{1}{cosx}\times sin^2x \times \frac{1}{sinx}[/tex]

[itex]sin^2x \times \frac{1}{sinx}[/itex] gives what? and then that times [itex]\frac{1}{cosx}[/itex] gives what?
 
Yes, the above statements are right. Your mistake lies in the fact that you mean to write 1/ tan t , and not 1/cott to represent cott.
 
rock.freak667 said:
sint+(cott)(cost)

[tex]= sint + \frac{cos^2 t}{sint} = \frac{?+??}{sint}[/tex]


[tex]secx*sin^2x*cosecx=\frac{1}{cosx}\times sin^2x \times \frac{1}{sinx}[/tex]

[itex]sin^2x \times \frac{1}{sinx}[/itex] gives what? and then that times [itex]\frac{1}{cosx}[/itex] gives what?

would it be:

(sin^2x) x (1/sinx) = sin^2x/sinx

(sin^2x/sinx) x (1/cosx) = (sin^2x)/(sinx cosx)?
 
You are correct, but rock.freak is showing you that you can simplify sin2x/sinx. Hint: what is y2/y, or 52/5?