Lesson 6.

1: The Different Trigonometric Identities

Part 1

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you (student) should be able to:
1) Determine the exact values of trigonometric functions using Pythagorean identities.
2) Solve for the six trigonometric functions using sum and difference identities.

Materials and Equipment Needed

lecture notebook
pen/pencil
ruler
calculator
Learning Activities (Activating Prior Knowledge)
Before we start our lesson, try to arrange the following letters to create a word/s:
1) TIEQUONT DENITIESIT
2) TENDITIY
3) DOCTERIUN MOLARUF
4) FALDUMNATEN DINESITTIE
5) BLOUDE GANLE LAMORUF

Were you able to find the word/words? Have you heard them before?

Learning Probe (Analysis)

Discussion Questions:
- What is the difference between these trigonometric identities?
- How do we use these trigonometric identities?

Learning Time (Acquire New Knowledge)

What is an identity?

An identity is an equality that holds true regardless of the values chosen for its variables. They
are used in simplifying or rearranging algebra expressions. By definition, the two sides of an identity
are interchangeable, so we can replace one with the other at any time.
In mathematics, trigonometric identities are equalities that involve trigonometric functions and
are true for every value of the occurring variables for which both sides of the equality are defined.
Geometrically, these are identities involving certain functions of one or more angles.
Trigonometric Identities are useful whenever trigonometric functions are involved in an
expression or an equation.
The following are the trigonometric identities that will be presented in this lesson:
  Fundamental Identities
 Pythagorean identities
 Sum and Diffence identities

FUNDAMENTAL IDENTITIES

For any angle θ, the other four trigonometric functions can be defined in terms of the sine and
cosine functions as follows:

Reciprocal Identities
1 1 1
csc θ = sec θ = cot θ =
sin θ cos θ tan θ

Quotient Identities
sin θ cos θ
tan θ = cot θ =
cos θ sin θ

These identities can be verified using the earlier definition of these functions. For example,
sin θ opp/hyp opp
= = = tan θ
cos θ adj/hyp adj

The others can be verified in a similar manner. Using these identities, we can find the values of
all six trigonometric functions once we know the values of sin θ and cos θ.

PYTHAGOREAN IDENTITIES
The Pythagorean trigonometric identity, also called simply the Pythagorean identity, is an
identity expressing the Pythagorean theorem in terms of trigonometric functions.
Let  be an angle in standard position, and let P(x, y) be a point on the terminal side of . Then
r = d (0, P) = √(𝑥 − 0)2 + (𝑦 − 0)2 = √𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2
 x2 + y2 = r2
𝑥 2 +𝑦 2 𝑟2
 =
𝑟2 𝑟2
𝑥2 𝑦2
 + =1
𝑟2 𝑟2

𝑥 2 𝑦 2
( ) +( ) = 1
𝑟 𝑟

 cos2 + sin2 = 1 Identity 1

Dividing both sides of identity 1 by cos2 , we then have

𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 1
2
=
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃
 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 1
+ =
𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃
sin 𝜃 2 1
1+( ) =
cos 𝜃 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃
sin 𝜃 2 1 2
1+( ) = ( )
cos 𝜃 cos 𝜃

1 + tan2 = sec2 Identity 2

Dividing both sides of identity 1 by sin2 , we then have

𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 1
=
𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃
𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 1
+ =
𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃
cos 𝜃 2 1 2
( ) +1= ( )
sin 𝜃 sin 𝜃

cot2 + 1 = csc2 Identity 3

The following identities are called the Pythagorean identities:

1) cos2 + sin2 = 1
 cos2 = 1 – sin2 , sin2 = 1 – cos2 

2) 1 + tan2 = sec2
 tan2 = sec2 – 1, sec2 – tan2 = 1

3) cot2+ 1 = csc2 
 cot2 = csc2 – 1, csc2 – cot2 = 1

Example:
Given tan θ = -2 and sin θ > 0, find the exact values of the remaining 5 trigonometric functions of
θ.
Solution:
Using Identity 2, we have
1 + tan2 θ = sec2 θ
 1 + (-2)2 = sec2 θ
 sec2 θ = 5

 sec θ = 5
 sin 
Since tan θ < 0 and sin θ > 0, and because tan θ = , then cos θ < 0, which implies sec θ < 0.
cos 
Hence sec θ = −√5

1
sec θ =
cos θ
1
cos θ =
sec θ
1 1 √5
cos θ = = 𝑥
−√5 −√5 √5
√5
cos θ = −
5

𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃
also, tan θ =
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃
sin θ = 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃
− √5
sin θ = ( ) (−2)
5
 5 2 5
 sin θ = (-2)   
 5  5


1 1 1
also, cot θ = = = −
tan θ −2 2

1 1 5
and, csc θ = = 2√5
=
sin θ 2√5
5

SUM AND DIFFERENCE IDENTITIES

Proof of the formula for cos ( - ):

y to find AP:

P(cos, sin) AP = (cos   l) 2  (sin   0) 2

P(x, y) = (cos 2   2 cos   l)  sin 2 
A(2, 0)
= cos 2   sin 2   2 cos 2   l

= 1  2 cos   l

x = 2  2 cos 
 P(cos-sin)
Using the result above, we can say that
 PaP = 2  2 cos(  )

But PaP using the distance formula
is also that equal to:

P(cos - sin) PaP= (cos   cos ) 2  (sin   sin ) 2

= cos 2   2 cos  cos   cos 2   sin 2   2 sin  sin   sin 2 
= cos 2   sin 2   cos   sin 2   2 cos  cos   2 sin  sin 
= 1  1  2 cos  cos   2 sin  sin 
= 2  2(cos  cos   sin  sin )

 PaP = 2  2 cos   2  2(cos  cos   sin  sin )

 2-2 cos ( - ) = 2 – 2 (cos cos + sin sin)

 -2 cos ( - ) = -2(cos cos + sin sin
cos ( - ) = cos cos + sin sin

Remark: Because of the above properties, the sine and cosine functions are called cofunctions,
likewise, the tangent and cotangent functions. It is also easy to show that secant and cosecant are
cofunctions.
Consider  = -
Then cos [ - (-)] = cos ( + )
 cos( + ) = cos cos(-) + sin sin(-)
= cos cos + sin (-sin)
= cos cos - sin sin
Note that here we used the following reduction identities:
cos(-) = cos  and sin(-) = - sin .
Let us now consider sin ( + ):
sin ( + ) = cos[(/2 - ( + )]
= cos(/2 -  - )
= cos[(/2 - ) + ]
= cos(/2 - ) cos  + sin (/2 - ) sin
= sin cos + cos sin
sin ( - ) = sin [ + (-)]
= sin cos(-) + cos sin(-)
= sin cos + cos (-sin )
= sin cos - cos sin
 1
𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝛼+𝛽) 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽+𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛽 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽
tan ( + ) = = ⋅ 1
𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛼+𝛽) 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽−𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛼 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛽
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽
𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛽
+ 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛼+𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛽
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽
= 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛼 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛽 =
− 1−𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛼 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛽
𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛽

𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛼−𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛽
tan ( - ) =
1+𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛼 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛽

The following identities are called the Sum and Difference Identities.
1.) cos( + ) = cos cos - sin sin
2.) cos( - ) = cos cos + sin sin
3.) sin( + ) = sin cos + cos sin
4.) sin( - ) = sin cos - cos sin
tan + tan
5.) tan( + ) =
1 − tan tan
tan − tan
6.) tan( - ) =
1+ tan tan

Example:
Find the exact values of the 6 trigonometric functions of 15o.

cos 15o = cos (45o - 30o) = cos 45o cos 30o + sin 45o sin 30o
= (0.7071) (0.866) + (0.7071)(0.5) = 0.9659
 4 3   
or: cos 15o = cos /12 = cos     cos   
 12 12  3 4
= cos /3 cos /4 + sin /3 sin /4
1 √3 √3 √2 √2 √6 √2+√6
= ( )( ) + ( )( ) = + = = 0.9659
2 2 2 2 2 4 4

sin 15o = sin (45o - 30o) = sin 45o cos 30o – cos 45o sin 30o
= (0.7071) (0.866) - (0.7071)(0.5) = 0.2589

tan45° − tan30° 1 − 0.5774

tan 15o = tan(45 o - 30 o) = == = 0.2680
1+ tan45° tan30° 1+(1) (0.5774)

1 1
cot 15o = tan 15° = 0.2680
= 3.731

1 1 1 1
sec 15o = cos 15° = 0.9659
= 1.035 csc 15o = sin 15° = 0.2589
= 3.862