An article about trigonometric identities Precalculus 3: Trigonometry

Main trigonometric identities and where to find them

Hania Uscka-Wehlou

List of most important trigonometric identities

In this course, we have derived, illustrated, and applied plenty of formulas (identities). In
this document, I list them together with information where to find their derivation, how
to memorize them, and where the formulas are usually applied.

• Reciprocal and Quotient Identities

1 π
sec α = (α 6= 2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z)
cos α
1
csc α = (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)
sin α
sin α π
tan α = (α 6= 2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z)
cos α
cos α
cot α = (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)
sin α
* In Video: V35 (in right triangles), V79 (generally).
* Precalculus book: p. 745.
* Applications: Everywhere.
* How to memorize: These are very basic relationships between our six functions
(six possible ratios in right triangles), following directly from their definitions;
should absolutely be memorized.

• Cofunction Identities
sin α = cos( π2 − α), cos α = sin( π2 − α)
csc α = sec( π2 − α) (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z) sec α = csc( π2 − α) (α 6= π
2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z)

tan α = cot( π2 − α) (α 6= π
2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z) cot α = tan( π2 − α) (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)

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 * In Video: V35 (in right triangles), V81 (generally).
* Precalculus book: p. 773.
* Applications: Everywhere.
* How to memorize: (Cofunction of an angle) = (the function of the complemen-
tary angle). Moreover, these identities follow immediately from the definitions
(ratios in right triangles, the coordinates and their ratios on the unit circle).

• Pythagorean Identities
cos2 α + sin2 α = 1
1 + tan2 α = sec2 α, (α 6= π
2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z)
1 + cot2 α = csc2 α, (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)

* In Video: V40 (in right triangles), V79 (generally).

* Precalculus book: p. 749.
* Applications: Everywhere.
* How to memorize: Must get memorized (the first one), the others are optional.
It is a direct consequence of Pythagorean theorem, so it is not hard to derive
or to remember.

• Reference- and Complementary-Angle Identities

cos(π − α) = − cos α, sin(π − α) = sin α

cos(π + α) = − cos α, sin(π + α) = − sin α

cos(2π − α) = cos(−α) = cos α, sin(2π − α) = sin(−α) = − sin α

cos( π2 − α) = sin α, sin( π2 − α) = cos α
cos( π2 + α) = − sin α, sin( π2 + α) = cos α

cos( 3π
2
− α) = − sin α, sin( 3π
2
− α) = − cos α

cos( 3π
2
+ α) = sin α, sin( 3π
2
+ α) = − cos α

* In Video: V81. Only the two first complementary formulas are applicable to
right triangles, and they were already mentioned as Cofunction Identities.

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 * Precalculus book: p. 722.
* Applications: Everywhere.
* How to memorize: No need; just draw the unit circle and reason about sym-
metries, and signs of x (the cosine) and y (the sine) in quadrants.

• Even / Odd Identities

π
cos(−α) = cos α, sec(−α) = sec α (α 6= 2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z)

sin(−α) = − sin α, csc(−α) = − csc α (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)

π
tan(−α) = − tan α (α 6= 2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z) cot(−α) = − cot α (α 6= kπ, k ∈ Z)

* In Video: V85–90. Obviously, these formulas have no place in the trigonometric

functions defined in right triangles, as we then deal with positive angles only!
* Precalculus book: p. 770.
* Applications: Everywhere.
* How to memorize: These identities follow immediately from the definitions (the
coordinates and their ratios on the unit circle). If you know how the graphs
look like, you will remember these identities, too! (Even functions, like cosine,
have graphs symmetric along the y-axis, odd functions, like sine, have graphs
symmetric along the origin.)

• Sum and Difference Identities

sin(α ± β) = sin α cos β ± sin β cos α

cos(α ± β) = cos α cos β ∓ sin α sin β

tan α ± tan β π
tan(α ± β) = (α, β, α ± β 6= 2
+ kπ, k ∈ Z).
1 ∓ tan α tan β

* In Video: V46, V47 (in right triangles), V95–98 (generally), V166 (complex
numbers).
* Precalculus book: pp. 771–775.
* Applications: Plenty: for derivation of many other formulas, serving for various
purposes.

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 * How to memorize: Must get memorized; another way of quick derivation is via
multiplication of complex numbers with arguments α and β, but you should
understand that it actually works another way around (i.e., we don’t get this
formula from complex numbers, but the fact that we under multiplication of
complex numbers add the arguments follows from the Sum Identities!)

• Double Angle Identities

sin 2α = 2 sin α cos α

cos 2α = cos2 α − sin2 α = 1 − 2 sin2 α = 2 cos2 α − 1

2 tan α
tan 2α = (α, 2α 6= π2 + kπ, k ∈ Z).
1 − tan2 α

* In Video: V48 (in right triangles), V94 (referring to V48).

* Precalculus book: p. 776.
* Applications: Give both Reduction Formulas and Half Angle Formulas.
* How to memorize: Follow immediately from the Sum Identities with β = α.

• Power Reduction Formulas

1 − cos 2α cos 2α + 1
sin2 α = , cos2 α = .
2 2

* In Video: V48 (in right triangles), V94 (referring to V48).

* Precalculus book: p. 778.
* Applications: Integrals, for example:
Z
2
Z
1 − cos 2x Z
1 Z
cos 2x 1 1
sin x dx = dx = dx − dx = x − sin 2x + C.
2 2 2 2 4
Z
2
Z
cos 2x + 1 Z
1 Z
cos 2x 1 1
cos x dx = dx = dx + dx = x + sin 2x + C.
2 2 2 2 4
* How to memorize: Follow immediately from the Double Angle Formulas.

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• Half Angle Formulas
s s s
α 1 − cos α α cos α + 1 α 1 − cos α
sin = ± , cos = ± , tan = ± ,
2 2 2 2 2 1 + cos α
where the sign depends on the quadrant in which the terminal side of α/2 lies. (In
the last formula, α 6= (2k + 1)π, k ∈ Z, so that the tangent of α/2 is defined; at the
same time the denominator in the last formula is different from zero.)
* In Video: V49 (in right triangles), V94 (referring to V49).
* Precalculus book: p. 779.
* Applications: Computations of exact values of trigonometric functions for half
of angles for which we do know the values of these functions.
* How to memorize: No need; can be immediately derived from the Double Angle
Formulas; the sign by observation (which quadrant).

• Tangent Half Angle Formulas

2 tan α2 1 − tan2 α2 2 tan α2
sin α = , cos α = , tan α = ,
1 + tan2 α2 1 + tan2 α2 1 − tan2 α2

where α 6= (2k + 1)π, k ∈ Z, so that the tangent of α/2 is defined; for the last
formula we have to make more restrictions: α 6= π2 + kπ, k ∈ Z (so that tan α is well
defined) and α 6= π4 + k π2 , k ∈ Z (so that tan2 α 6= 1 and the denominator in the last
formula is different from zero).
* In Video: V61 (in right triangles), V94 (referring to V61).
* Precalculus book: pp. 776–777.
* Applications: For solving integrals by trigonometric substitution and converting
the integrand to a rational function; for solving trigonometric equations.
* How to memorize: No need; can be immediately derived from the Double Angle
Formulas and the Pythagorean Identity.

• Multiple Angle Identities

sin 3α = 3 sin α − 4 sin3 α

cos 3α = 4 cos3 α − 3 cos α.

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 * In Video: V53 (in right triangles), V94 (referring to V53), V167 (complex num-
bers).
* Precalculus book: p. 777.
* Applications: Various.
* How to memorize: No need for that; use de Moivre’s formulas with Pascal’s
triangle, or use (as many times as needed) the Sum Identities.

• Product to Sum Formulas

cos α cos β = 12 [cos(α − β) + cos(α + β)]

sin α sin β = 12 [cos(α − β) − cos(α + β)]

sin α cos β = 21 [sin(α − β) + sin(α + β)].

* In Video: V112.
* Precalculus book: p. 780.
* Applications: For example while computing integrals.
* How to memorize: Follow immediately from the Sum Identities.

• Sum to Product Formulas

cos α + cos β = 2 cos α+β

2
cos α−β
2

cos α − cos β = −2 sin α+β

2
sin α−β
2

sin α ± sin β = 2 sin α±β

2
cos α∓β
2
.

* In Video: V114.
* Precalculus book: p. 781.
* Applications: Various, for example for proving monotonicity of the sine and
cosine functions in intervals, and for proving continuity and differentiability.
* How to memorize: Follow immediately from the Product-to-Sum Formulas.