Trig idents while computing limit

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The discussion revolves around the difficulty in solving a limit problem using trigonometric identities. The user attempted to apply the identities for cosine and sine to expand the terms but struggled with factoring due to the presence of the sin(h) term. Another participant suggests factoring sin(x) from the first two terms and cos(x) from the next two terms to align with the solution guide. There is also confusion regarding the denominator in the user's work. The conversation highlights the importance of careful expansion and factoring in trigonometric limit problems.
quicksilver123
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My screenshots show an attempt at a solution and the given solution path from the book, but I can't seem to figure it out.
 

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That is the identity I used to expand the (x+h) terms but could not factor to the next step due to the sin(h) term... unless I made an error in my expansion that I haven't caught?
 
In your work, factor a sin(x) from the first 2 terms and cos(x) from the next 2 terms. You should now have the same as the solution guide. Note that it takes 2 lines to display theirs. I don't know what you've done in the denominator, though. .
 
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Thanks. I don't know why I didn't see that.
 
Question: A clock's minute hand has length 4 and its hour hand has length 3. What is the distance between the tips at the moment when it is increasing most rapidly?(Putnam Exam Question) Answer: Making assumption that both the hands moves at constant angular velocities, the answer is ## \sqrt{7} .## But don't you think this assumption is somewhat doubtful and wrong?

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