A geometry problem by A Former Brilliant Member

Geometry Level 5

{ tan α = 1 3 α = 6 β \begin {cases}\tan \alpha =\dfrac{1}{3} \\ \alpha=6\beta \end {cases}

Given the above, find 1 2 ( csc 2 β 3 sec 2 β ) \dfrac{1}{2}\left(\csc 2\beta-3\sec 2\beta\right) , if α \alpha is acute angle.

Answer up to 4 decimal places.


The answer is 3.1622.

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2 solutions

Rishabh Jain
Jun 28, 2016

Relevant wiki: Sum and Difference Trigonometric Formulas - Problem Solving

Call the expression R \mathcal R . Use csc 2 β = 1 sin 2 β , sec 2 β = 1 cos 2 β \small{\color{teal}{\csc 2\beta=\dfrac1{\sin 2\beta},\sec 2\beta=\dfrac1{\cos 2\beta}}} and take LCM.

R = cos 2 β 3 sin 2 β 2 sin 2 β cos 2 β sin 4 β \mathcal R=\dfrac{\cos 2\beta -3\sin 2\beta}{\underbrace{2\sin 2\beta \cos 2\beta}_{\color{#D61F06}{\sin 4\beta}}}

= 10 [ 1 10 cos 2 β 3 10 sin 2 β sin 4 β ] =\sqrt{10}\left[\dfrac{\frac1{\sqrt{10}}\cos 2\beta-\frac3{\sqrt{10}}\sin 2\beta}{\sin 4\beta}\right]

( tan α = 1 3 sin α = 1 10 , cos α = 3 10 ) \left(\small{\color{#3D99F6}{\tan \alpha=\dfrac 13\implies\sin \alpha=\dfrac1{\sqrt{10}},\cos \alpha=\dfrac3{\sqrt{10}}}}\right)

= 10 [ sin α cos 2 β cos α sin 2 β sin 4 β ] =\sqrt{10}\left[\dfrac{\sin \alpha\cos 2\beta-\cos \alpha\sin 2\beta}{\sin 4\beta}\right]

= 10 [ sin ( α 2 β ) sin 4 β ] ( sin A cos B cos A sin B = sin ( A B ) ) \large =\sqrt{10}\left[\dfrac{\sin(\alpha - 2\beta)}{\sin 4\beta}\right]~~~\small{(\because \sin A\cos B-\cos A\sin B=\sin (A-B))}

= 10 [ sin 4 β sin 4 β ] α 2 β = 4 β \large =\sqrt{10}\left[ \dfrac{\sin 4\beta}{\sin 4\beta}\right]~~~~~\small{\because \alpha-2\beta=4\beta}

= 10 3.1622 \Large =\sqrt{10}\approx \boxed{3.1622}

Great solution! I was quite near it but couldn't quite crack it :/

Mehul Arora - 4 years, 11 months ago

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Thanks.... @Abhay Kumar Easy and nice problem..... @Mehul Arora No problem...It just need to be worked in the right direction... :-) Next time maybe

Rishabh Jain - 4 years, 11 months ago

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@Mehul Arora I ended up solving a cubic equation for tan 2 β \tan 2\beta , so you had better progress than me

Hung Woei Neoh - 4 years, 11 months ago

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@Hung Woei Neoh LOL, I introduced 1/2 to factorize it as 2 sin 4 Beta or something, and then substitute as 2/3 alpha, But it resulted in a bad looking expression. I didn't think of introducing 10 \sqrt {10} I don't remember though, I just clicked View Solution :P

Mehul Arora - 4 years, 11 months ago

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@Mehul Arora I only clicked view solution twice. Both were accidents. With this type of questions, I will try my best to solve it, if I can't turn it into something neat, I'll just use my calculator :P

Hung Woei Neoh - 4 years, 11 months ago

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@Hung Woei Neoh Ahahahah that works too :P

Mehul Arora - 4 years, 11 months ago

Typo: The third last line should be 10 [ sin ( α 2 β ) sin 4 β ] \sqrt{10}\left[\dfrac{\sin(\alpha - 2\beta)}{\sin 4\beta}\right]

Anyway, wonderful solution! You have great trigo manipulation skills!

Hung Woei Neoh - 4 years, 11 months ago

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Edited.... Thanks... :-)

Rishabh Jain - 4 years, 11 months ago

I am not able to understand what u did in the third step....

Hari Krishna Sahoo - 4 years, 11 months ago

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1 10 cos 2 β 3 10 sin 2 β \frac1{\sqrt{10}}\cos 2\beta-\frac3{\sqrt{10}}\sin 2\beta

= sin α cos 2 β cos α sin 2 β =\sin\alpha \cos 2\beta-\cos \alpha\sin 2\beta ( tan α = 1 3 sin α = 1 10 , cos α = 3 10 ) (\small{\because\tan \alpha=\dfrac 13\implies\sin \alpha=\dfrac1{\sqrt{10}},\cos \alpha=\dfrac3{\sqrt{10}}})

= sin ( α 2 β ) =\sin (\alpha -2\beta) Use sin A cos B cos A sin B = sin ( A B ) \sin A\cos B-\cos A\sin B=\sin (A-B)

Rishabh Jain - 4 years, 11 months ago

got it!!! thanks bro...

Hari Krishna Sahoo - 4 years, 11 months ago

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Welcome... :-)

Rishabh Jain - 4 years, 11 months ago

Why to introduce √10??? If tan a=1/3 Can be directly sin a/ cos a= 1/3 i.e. sin a =1 and cos a= 3

Riskabhi Chakraborty - 4 years, 11 months ago

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Noooo, Notice that cos a can never go above 1. i.e., cos ( α ) 1 \cos (\alpha) \leq 1 . The introduction of 10 \sqrt {10} was only towards getting the Identity to simplify the expression

Mehul Arora - 4 years, 11 months ago

Very elegant solution. I had some weird cubic I eventually had to use a calculator for, which I hate doing. I have one question though: Why is 10 \sqrt{10} the correct number to use here? I have read the comments, I understand that introducing 10 \sqrt{10} makes for proper sin and cos values (very good idea by the way). But so does 17 \sqrt{17} or 31 \sqrt{31} . If I would have used either of those or some other number > 3 >3 , the math here would lead to the answer being the number I introduced. So why is 10 \sqrt{10} the correct number to use?

Louis W - 4 years, 11 months ago

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I just had a thought. If you look at this from the unit circle point of view, then opposite = 1 =1 and adjacent = 3 =3 , but that can't work with a hypotenuse of 1 1 . So if you say opposite = 1 x =\frac{1}{x} and adjacent = 3 x =\frac{3}{x} where x > 3 x>3 , then tan is still 1 3 \frac{1}{3} and the triangle works. Then use Pythagorean Theorem and solve for x x you get x = 10 x=\sqrt{10} . Is that where it came from?

Louis W - 4 years, 11 months ago

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Exactly.... :-) .... I just thought using sin A cos B-cos A sin B =sin (A-B) can make it a bit simple and it did... :-)

Rishabh Jain - 4 years, 11 months ago
Prakhar Bindal
Jun 29, 2016

Given tan(3x) = 1/3

We need to evaluate cosecx-3secx

Write 3 as cot(3x) and take LCM and open sin3x and cos3x by using standard results .

On bit simplification u will get as 2/sin3x

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