Prove special values for trigonometry

How to prove algebraically that cos1(12cos^{-1} (\frac{1}{2} ) is π3\frac{\pi}{3} ?

#Geometry

Note by Noel Lo
6 years, 2 months ago

No vote yet
1 vote

  Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

  • Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
  • Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
  • Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
  • Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

MarkdownAppears as
*italics* or _italics_ italics
**bold** or __bold__ bold

- bulleted
- list

  • bulleted
  • list

1. numbered
2. list

  1. numbered
  2. list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1

paragraph 2

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

[example link](https://brilliant.org)example link
> This is a quote
This is a quote
    # I indented these lines
    # 4 spaces, and now they show
    # up as a code block.

    print "hello world"
# I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
MathAppears as
Remember to wrap math in \( ... \) or \[ ... \] to ensure proper formatting.
2 \times 3 2×3 2 \times 3
2^{34} 234 2^{34}
a_{i-1} ai1 a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3} 23 \frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2} 2 \sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3 i=13 \sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta sinθ \sin \theta
\boxed{123} 123 \boxed{123}

Comments

Maybe first start with cos 3x = 4 cos3\cos^{3} x - 3 cos x?

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

Or perhaps sin 3x = 3 sin x - 4 sin3x\sin^{3} x . Equate 3 sin x - 4 sin3x\sin^{3} x to 0 and we have sin x= 0 or 32\frac{\sqrt{3}} {2} . Similarly, for sin 3x =0, the basic value for x to satisfy would be π3\frac{\pi}{3} . This means sin π3\frac{\pi}{3} = 32\frac{\sqrt{3}} {2} and sin1\sin^{-1} (32\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} ) =π3\frac{\pi}{3} . Now, cos π3\frac{\pi}{3} = 12\frac{1}{2} since sin2x\sin^2 x + cos2x\cos^2 x =1. It follows that cos1(12cos^{-1} (\frac{1}{2} )= π3\frac{\pi}{3}

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

Someone think of a shorter way?

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

@Noel Lo By the way, to further prove the identity for sin 3x and cos 3x, we can express 3x as 2x + x and use the double angle formula.

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

For 4 cos3\cos^{3} x - 3 cos x=0, we similarly have cos x =0 or 32\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}.

cos 3x = 0 means the smallest positive value for 3x is π2\frac{\pi}{2} since cos π2\frac{\pi}{2} = 0 which follows that x= π6\frac{\pi}{6} .

We can also prove here that cos π6\frac{\pi}{6} = 32\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}. Then cos1(32\cos^{-1} (\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} ) = π6\frac{\pi}{6} .

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

And just like what we did for π3\frac{\pi}{3} , we can also show that sin1(12\sin^{-1} (\frac{1}{2} ) = π6\frac{\pi}{6} .

Noel Lo - 6 years, 2 months ago

I think instead of using the word "smallest positive value" , you should use : the smallest solution in the Principal Interval .

Did you know that cos1cosx=xx[0,π]cos^{-1} cos x = x \forall x \in [0,\pi] ?

I have provided you with the graph of y=cos1cosxy=cos^{-1} cos x

A Former Brilliant Member - 6 years, 2 months ago

The honest truth is YOU CAN'T. First of all, arccos\arccos is not an algebraic function, and if you want to make it algebraic you will have to turn it into an infinite power series. The issue then becomes how to determine that arccos(12)\arccos(\frac{1}{2}) is EXACTLY π3\frac{\pi}{3} (key word being EXACT, because in algebra we don't have any notion of "convergence", whatever that means).

A Former Brilliant Member - 2 years, 10 months ago
×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...