Solving trig equation for giving range

  • Thread starter Thread starter thomas49th
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Range Trig
thomas49th
Messages
645
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



(b) Solve, for 0 <= x < 360°, the equation
2tan²x + secx = 1,

Homework Equations



I think I have to solve it quadratically but I need to get the trigs to the same trig form

The Attempt at a Solution



2\frac{sin^{2}x}{cos^{2}x} + \frac{1}{cosx} = 1

but I can't see any other logical step after that?

Thanks :)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
How do you relate tan^2 x to sec^2 x ?
 
thomas49th said:

Homework Statement



(b) Solve, for 0 <= x < 360°, the equation
2tan²x + secx = 1,

Homework Equations



I think I have to solve it quadratically but I need to get the trigs to the same trig form

The Attempt at a Solution



2\frac{sin^{2}x}{cos^{2}x} + \frac{1}{cosx} = 1

but I can't see any other logical step after that?

Thanks :)

It would seem logical to me to multiply both sides by cos2 x: 2sin2 x+ cos x= cos2 x. Now replace sin2 x by 1- cos2 x and you have a quadratic equation for cos x.
 
HallsofIvy said:
It would seem logical to me to multiply both sides by cos2 x: 2sin2 x+ cos x= cos2 x. Now replace sin2 x by 1- cos2 x and you have a quadratic equation for cos x.

Or, as Defennder was hinting :wink:, use one of the standard trigonometric identities :
tan²x = sec²x - 1 :smile:
 
Last edited:
yay you i got it :) cheers :)
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top