brikelly08
Jun 16, 2009, 07:31 PM
Trig proofs
how do you solve:
tanx + cotx = secxcscx
Perito
Jun 16, 2009, 07:57 PM
Useful identities (memorize them)
tan(x) = \frac {sin(x)}{cos(x)} (1)
cot(x) = \frac {1}{tan(x)} = \frac {cos(x)}{sin(x)} (2)
sec(x) = \frac {1}{cos(x)} (3)
csc(x) = \frac {1}{sin(x)} (4)
cos^2(x) + sin^2(x) = 1 (5)
So, your problem is:
tan(x) + cot(x) = sec(x)csc(x)
\frac {sin(x)}{cos(x)} + \frac {cos(x)}{sin(x)} = \frac {1}{cos(x)} \times \frac {1}{sin(x)}
Take the left hand side and find the common denominator. Use identity #5, above, and you'll find that the two sides are equal, which is what you want to prove.