Expansions of cos nθ and sin nθ in powers of sin θ and cos θ , when n is a positive

integer

Since n is a positive integer, by the binomial theorem,

( cos θ+ isin θ )n =cos n θ+ nC 1 ( cosn−1 θ ) i sinθ+ n C2 ( cos n−2 θ ) i 2 sin2 θ

+n C 3 ( cos n−3 θ ) i3 sin3 θ+n C 4 ( cos n−4 θ ) i 4 sin4 θ+… …(i)

Using De Moiver’s theorem,
n
(cosθ +i sinθ) =cos nθ +isin nθ ...(ii)
Equating the right hand sides of (ii) and (i) and remembering that i 2=−1 ; i3 =−i;
4
i =1 etc., we get,

cos nθ+isin nθ=cos n θ+n C 1 × i ( cos n−1 θ ) sinθ−nC 2 × ( cos n−2 θ ) sin 2 θ

−n C 3 × i ( cos n−3 θ ) sin3 θ+ n C4 × ( cos n−4 θ ) sin4 θ+ … …(iii)

Equating the real parts,
cos nθ=cos θ-n C 2 ( cos θ ) sin2 θ+ n C4 ( cosn−4 θ ) sin 4 θ−…
n n−2

Equating the imaginary parts in (iii),

sin nθ=n C1 ( cos n−1 θ ) sinθ−n C 3 ( cosn−3 θ ) sin3 θ+n C 5 ( cosn−5 θ ) sin5 θ−…
These are the required expansions.
Note
2 sin nθ
Replacing sin2 θ by 1−cos2 θ, sin 4 θ by ( 1−cos2 θ ) etc., cos nθand can be expressed
sin θ
in terms of powers of cosθ alone.
sin nθ
tan nθ=¿ ¿
cos nθ
n C1 ( cos n−1 θ ) sinθ−n C 3 ( cos n−3 θ ) sin3 θ +n C5 ( cos n−5 θ ) sin5 θ−…
¿
cos n θ−n C 2 ( cos n−2 θ ) sin2 θ +n C 4 ( cosn−4 θ ) sin 4 θ−…
Divide both the numerator and the denominator by cos n θ , we get,
3 5
n C1 tanθ−n C 3 tan θ +n C5 tan θ−…
tan nθ= 2 4
1−n C 2 tan θ +n C 4 tan θ−…
Examples

sin 6 θ
1. Express cos 6 θ and in series of powers of cosθ .
sin θ
Solution

( cos θ+ isin θ )6 =cos 6 θ+6 cos5 θ ( i sinθ )+ 15 cos4 θ(i sinθ)2

3 3 2 4 5
+20 cos θ (i sinθ) +15 cos θ (i sinθ) + 6 cosθ (i sinθ)

6
+(i sinθ)

Applying De Moiver’s theorem to the L.H.S.,

( cos 6 θ +isin 6 θ )=cos 6 θ+ 6i cos 5 θ sinθ−15 cos 4 θ sin2 θ−20 icos 3 θ sin3 θ

+15 cos 2 θ sin 4 θ+ 6 icosθ sin5 θ−sin6 θ …(i)

Equating the real parts,

6 4 2 2 4 6
cos 6 θ=cos θ−15 cos θ sin θ+ 15 cos θ sin θ−sin θ

2 3
¿ cos θ−15 cos θ ( 1−cos θ )+ 15 cos θ ( 1−cos θ ) −( 1−cos θ )
6 4 2 2 2 2

¿ cos 6 θ−15 cos 4 θ+15 cos6 θ+15 cos 2 θ ( 1−2 cos2 θ+cos 4 θ )

2 4 6
−(1−3 cos θ+3 cos θ−cos θ)

6 4 2
¿ 32 cos θ−48 cos θ+18 cos θ−1

Equating the imaginary parts of (i),

5 3 3 5
sin 6 θ=6 cos θ sinθ−20 cos θ sin θ+6 cosθ sin θ

Therefore,

sin 6 θ 5 3 2 4
=6 cos θ−20 cos θ sin θ+6 cosθ sin θ
sin θ
 2
¿ 6 cos θ−20 cos θ ( 1−cos θ ) +6 cosθ ( 1−cos θ )
5 3 2 2

¿ 6 cos 5 θ−20 cos 3 θ+20 cos 5 θ+6 cosθ ( 1−2 cos2 θ+cos 4 θ )

5 3
¿ 32 cos θ−32cos θ+ 6 cosθ

2. Express tan6 θ in terms of tanθ .

Solution
From the above example 4,
5 3 3 5
sin 6 θ 6 cos θ sinθ−20 cos θ sin θ+6 cosθ sin θ
tan6 θ= =
cos 6 θ cos 6 θ−15 cos 4 θ sin2 θ+ 15 cos2 θ sin4 θ−sin6 θ
Dividing Numerator and Denominator by cos 6 θ .
3 5
6 tanθ−20 tan θ+ 6 tan θ
tan6 θ= 2 4 6
1−15 tan θ+15 tan θ−tan θ

3. Expand cos 7 θ in powers of cos θ and sin 7 θ in powers of sin θ .Also find tan7 θ in
powers of tanθ .
Solution

( cos 7 θ+ isin 7 θ ) =( cos θ+i sin θ )7=cos 7 θ+7 C 1 cos 6 θ ( i sinθ ) +7 C 2 cos 5 θ (i sinθ)2 +7 C 3 cos4 θ (i sinθ)3

+7 C 4 cos3 θ(i sinθ)4 +7 C 5 cos2 θ(i sinθ)5+7 C 6 cos θ(i sinθ)6 +(i sinθ)7

7 6 5 2 4 3
¿ cos θ+ 7 cos θ ( i sinθ )−21 cos θ sin θ−35cos θ(isin θ)

+35 cos 3 θ sin 4 θ +21 cos2 θ ( isin5 θ ) −7 cosθ sin 6 θ−isin 7 θ …(i)

Equating the real parts,

7 5 2 3 4 6
cos 7 θ=cos θ−21 cos θ sin θ+35 cos θ sin θ−7 cosθ sin θ …(ii)

2 3
¿ cos θ−21 cos θ ( 1−cos θ ) +35 cos θ ( 1−cos θ ) −7 cosθ ( 1−cos θ )
7 5 2 3 2 2

¿ cos 7 θ−21 cos5 θ+21 cos 7 θ+35 cos 3 θ ( 1−2 cos2 θ+cos 4 θ )

2 4 6
−7 cosθ (1−3 cos θ +3 cos θ−cos θ)
 7 5 3
¿ 64 cos θ−112 cos θ+56 cos θ−7 cosθ

Equating the imaginary parts of (i),

6 4 3 2 5 7
sin 7 θ=7 cos θ sinθ−35 cos θ sin θ+ 21cos θ sin θ−sin θ …(iii)

3 2
¿ 7 ( 1−sin θ ) sin θ−35 ( 1−sin θ ) sin θ+21 ( 1−sin θ ) sin θ−sin θ
2 2 3 2 5 7

¿ 7 ( 1−3 sin 2 θ+3 sin 4 θ−sin 6 θ ) sinθ−35 ( 1−2sin 2 θ+ sin4 θ ) sin3 θ

+21 ( sin5 θ−sin7 θ )−sin 7 θ

3 5 7
¿ 7 sinθ−56 sin θ+112 sin θ−64 sin θ

Using (ii) and (iii),

6 4 3 2 5 7
sin 7 θ 7 cos θ sinθ−35 cos θ sin θ+21 cos θ sin θ−sin θ
tan7 θ= =
cos 7 θ cos 7 θ−21 cos5 θ sin2 θ +35 cos3 θ sin4 θ−7 cosθ sin 6 θ
Dividing Numerator and Denominator by cos 7 θ .
Therefore,
3 5 7
7 tanθ−35 tan θ+21 tan θ−tan θ
tan7 θ= 2 4 6
1−21 tan θ+35 tan θ−7 tan θ

Exercise

1. Prove that cos 6 θ=1−18 sin 2 θ+ 48 sin4 θ−32sin 6 θ

2. Prove that cos 5 θ=16 cos 5 θ−20 cos3 θ+5 cosθ
3. Prove that sin 5 θ=5 sinθ−20 sin3 θ+16 sin 5 θ
4. Prove that cos 4 θ=8 cos 4 θ−8 cos 2 θ+ 1
sin 7 θ 2 4 6
5. Prove that =7−56 sin θ+ 112sin θ−64 sin θ
sin θ