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Given that sin α = 4 5 and α lies in quadrant IV, find the exact value of cos ( α 2 ) .

2 5

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Finding the measurement of a half angle

Now, we will return to the problem posed at the beginning of the section. A bicycle ramp is constructed for high-level competition with an angle of θ formed by the ramp and the ground. Another ramp is to be constructed half as steep for novice competition. If tan θ = 5 3 for higher-level competition, what is the measurement of the angle for novice competition?

Since the angle for novice competition measures half the steepness of the angle for the high level competition, and tan θ = 5 3 for high competition, we can find cos θ from the right triangle and the Pythagorean theorem so that we can use the half-angle identities. See [link] .

3 2 + 5 2 = 34            c = 34
Image of a right triangle with sides 3, 5, and rad34. Rad 34 is the hypotenuse, and 3 is the base. The angle formed by the hypotenuse and base is theta. The angle between the side of length 3 and side of length 5 is a right angle.

We see that cos θ = 3 34 = 3 34 34 . We can use the half-angle formula for tangent: tan θ 2 = 1 cos θ 1 + cos θ . Since tan θ is in the first quadrant, so is tan θ 2 . Thus,

tan θ 2 = 1 3 34 34 1 + 3 34 34          = 34 3 34 34 34 + 3 34 34          = 34 3 34 34 + 3 34          0.57

We can take the inverse tangent to find the angle: tan 1 ( 0.57 ) 29.7 . So the angle of the ramp for novice competition is 29.7 .

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Access these online resources for additional instruction and practice with double-angle, half-angle, and reduction formulas.

Key equations

Double-angle formulas sin ( 2 θ ) = 2 sin θ cos θ cos ( 2 θ ) = cos 2 θ sin 2 θ             = 1 2 sin 2 θ             = 2 cos 2 θ 1 tan ( 2 θ ) = 2 tan θ 1 tan 2 θ
Reduction formulas sin 2 θ = 1 cos ( 2 θ ) 2 cos 2 θ = 1 + cos ( 2 θ ) 2 tan 2 θ = 1 cos ( 2 θ ) 1 + cos ( 2 θ )
Half-angle formulas sin α 2 = ± 1 cos α 2 cos α 2 = ± 1 + cos α 2 tan α 2 = ± 1 cos α 1 + cos α          = sin α 1 + cos α          = 1 cos α sin α

Key concepts

  • Double-angle identities are derived from the sum formulas of the fundamental trigonometric functions: sine, cosine, and tangent. See [link] , [link] , [link] , and [link] .
  • Reduction formulas are especially useful in calculus, as they allow us to reduce the power of the trigonometric term. See [link] and [link] .
  • Half-angle formulas allow us to find the value of trigonometric functions involving half-angles, whether the original angle is known or not. See [link] , [link] , and [link] .

Section exercises

Verbal

Explain how to determine the reduction identities from the double-angle identity cos ( 2 x ) = cos 2 x sin 2 x .

Use the Pythagorean identities and isolate the squared term.

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Explain how to determine the double-angle formula for tan ( 2 x ) using the double-angle formulas for cos ( 2 x ) and sin ( 2 x ) .

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We can determine the half-angle formula for tan ( x 2 ) = 1 cos x 1 + cos x by dividing the formula for sin ( x 2 ) by cos ( x 2 ) . Explain how to determine two formulas for tan ( x 2 ) that do not involve any square roots.

1 cos x sin x , sin x 1 + cos x , multiplying the top and bottom by 1 cos x and 1 + cos x , respectively.

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For the half-angle formula given in the previous exercise for tan ( x 2 ) , explain why dividing by 0 is not a concern. (Hint: examine the values of cos x necessary for the denominator to be 0.)

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Algebraic

For the following exercises, find the exact values of a) sin ( 2 x ) , b) cos ( 2 x ) , and c) tan ( 2 x ) without solving for x .

If sin x = 1 8 , and x is in quadrant I.

a) 3 7 32 b) 31 32 c) 3 7 31

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Questions & Answers

how did you get 1640
Noor Reply
If auger is pair are the roots of equation x2+5x-3=0
Peter Reply
Wayne and Dennis like to ride the bike path from Riverside Park to the beach. Dennis’s speed is seven miles per hour faster than Wayne’s speed, so it takes Wayne 2 hours to ride to the beach while it takes Dennis 1.5 hours for the ride. Find the speed of both bikers.
MATTHEW Reply
420
Sharon
from theory: distance [miles] = speed [mph] × time [hours] info #1 speed_Dennis × 1.5 = speed_Wayne × 2 => speed_Wayne = 0.75 × speed_Dennis (i) info #2 speed_Dennis = speed_Wayne + 7 [mph] (ii) use (i) in (ii) => [...] speed_Dennis = 28 mph speed_Wayne = 21 mph
George
Let W be Wayne's speed in miles per hour and D be Dennis's speed in miles per hour. We know that W + 7 = D and W * 2 = D * 1.5. Substituting the first equation into the second: W * 2 = (W + 7) * 1.5 W * 2 = W * 1.5 + 7 * 1.5 0.5 * W = 7 * 1.5 W = 7 * 3 or 21 W is 21 D = W + 7 D = 21 + 7 D = 28
Salma
Devon is 32 32​​ years older than his son, Milan. The sum of both their ages is 54 54​. Using the variables d d​ and m m​ to represent the ages of Devon and Milan, respectively, write a system of equations to describe this situation. Enter the equations below, separated by a comma.
Aaron Reply
find product (-6m+6) ( 3m²+4m-3)
SIMRAN Reply
-42m²+60m-18
Salma
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bill
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bill
-24m+3+3mÁ^2
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Bajemah
-6m(3mA²+4m-3)+6(3mA²+4m-3) =-18m²A²-24m²+18m+18mA²+24m-18 Rearrange like items -18m²A²-24m²+42m+18A²-18
Salma
complete the table of valuesfor each given equatio then graph. 1.x+2y=3
Jovelyn Reply
x=3-2y
Salma
y=x+3/2
Salma
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Enock
given that (7x-5):(2+4x)=8:7find the value of x
Nandala
3x-12y=18
Kelvin
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Grace Reply
please why is it that the 0is in the place of ten thousand
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A meditation garden is in the shape of a right triangle, with one leg 7 feet. The length of the hypotenuse is one more than the length of one of the other legs. Find the lengths of the hypotenuse and the other leg
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state in which quadrant or on which axis each of the following angles given measure. in standard position would lie 89°
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The Jones family took a 15 mile canoe ride down the Indian River in three hours. After lunch, the return trip back up the river took five hours. Find the rate, in mph, of the canoe in still water and the rate of the current.
cameron Reply
Shakir works at a computer store. His weekly pay will be either a fixed amount, $925, or $500 plus 12% of his total sales. How much should his total sales be for his variable pay option to exceed the fixed amount of $925.
mahnoor Reply
I'm guessing, but it's somewhere around $4335.00 I think
Lewis
12% of sales will need to exceed 925 - 500, or 425 to exceed fixed amount option. What amount of sales does that equal? 425 ÷ (12÷100) = 3541.67. So the answer is sales greater than 3541.67. Check: Sales = 3542 Commission 12%=425.04 Pay = 500 + 425.04 = 925.04. 925.04 > 925.00
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When traveling to Great Britain, Bethany exchanged $602 US dollars into £515 British pounds. How many pounds did she receive for each US dollar?
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Jazmine trained for 3 hours on Saturday. She ran 8 miles and then biked 24 miles. Her biking speed is 4 mph faster than her running speed. What is her running speed?
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Sheirtina
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Source:  OpenStax, Precalculus. OpenStax CNX. Jan 19, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11667/1.6
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