Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Trigonometric Identities
Trigonometric identities are equations that involve trigonometric functions and are true for all values of the variables involved. Key identities for this problem include the sine and cosine addition formulas: sin(x + y) = sin x cos y + cos x sin y and cos(x - y) = cos x cos y + sin x sin y. These identities allow us to express the sine and cosine of sums and differences of angles in terms of the sine and cosine of the individual angles.
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Fundamental Trigonometric Identities
Quadrants and Angle Signs
The unit circle is divided into four quadrants, each corresponding to specific signs of the sine, cosine, and tangent functions. In quadrant I, both sine and cosine are positive, while in quadrant IV, sine is negative and cosine is positive. Understanding the quadrant in which an angle lies helps determine the signs of the trigonometric functions for that angle, which is crucial for calculating values like sin(x + y) and cos(x - y).
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Finding Missing Trigonometric Values
To find the sine and cosine of an angle when only one of the values is known, we can use the Pythagorean identity: sin²θ + cos²θ = 1. For example, if sin x = 3/5, we can find cos x by calculating cos x = √(1 - sin²x). Similarly, knowing cos y allows us to find sin y using the same identity. This process is essential for applying the trigonometric identities effectively in the problem.
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