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Auxiliary method (2 Viewers)

fifibum

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When solving a question like 3sintheta + 4costheta = 0,
how would you know which sum or difference of two angles to use?
For example, what makes you choose to use sin(theta + alpha)
instead of cos(theta + alpha)?
 

fifibum

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How would you actually do this question though?
 

leehuan

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?



Then just write down the general solution or the required answers for your unspecified domain?

______________________


Or alternatively you can just solve this?

 
Last edited:

Green Yoda

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ok for
sinx+cosx use rsin(x+alpha)
sinx-cosx use rsin(x-alpha)
cosx+sinx use rcos(x-alpha)
cosx-sinx use rcos(x+alpha)
 

fluffchuck

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3sintheta + 4costheta = 0

Let 3sintheta + 4costheta = Rcos(theta-alpha)
= Rcostheta.cosalpha+Rsintheta.sinalpha

By comparison, 3sintheta = Rsintheta.sinalpha
3 = Rsinalpha

By comparison, 4costheta = Rcostheta.cosalpha
4 = Rcosalpha

Therefore:
Rsinalpha = 3------Eq1 (Quadrants 1,2)
Rcosalpha = 4------Eq2 (Quadants 1,4)
Hence, Quadrant 1

(Eq1)^2 + (Eq2)^2=
R^2(sin^2alpha+cos^2alpha)= 3^2 + 4^2
Since sin^2alpha+cos^2alpha = 1,
R^2 = 25
R=5 (R>0)

Rsinalpha = 3------Eq1 (Quadrants 1,2)
Rcosalpha = 4------Eq2 (Quadants 1,4)

Eq1 divided by Eq2
tanalpha = 3/4
alpha = tan^-1(3/4) (Take the acute angle, since quadrant 1)

Therefore,
3sintheta + 4costheta = 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4))

Since 3sintheta + 4costheta = 0, 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0

Solve for 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) =0.

5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0
cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0
theta = 180n + tan^-1(3/4), where n is an integer

Then, substitue values for n for angles between your questions given condition

Hope this helped :)
 

InteGrand

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3sintheta + 4costheta = 0

Let 3sintheta + 4costheta = Rcos(theta-alpha)
= Rcostheta.cosalpha+Rsintheta.sinalpha

By comparison, 3sintheta = Rsintheta.sinalpha
3 = Rsinalpha

By comparison, 4costheta = Rcostheta.cosalpha
4 = Rcosalpha

Therefore:
Rsinalpha = 3------Eq1 (Quadrants 1,2)
Rcosalpha = 4------Eq2 (Quadants 1,4)
Hence, Quadrant 1

(Eq1)^2 + (Eq2)^2=
R^2(sin^2alpha+cos^2alpha)= 3^2 + 4^2
Since sin^2alpha+cos^2alpha = 1,
R^2 = 25
R=5 (R>0)

Rsinalpha = 3------Eq1 (Quadrants 1,2)
Rcosalpha = 4------Eq2 (Quadants 1,4)

Eq1 divided by Eq2
tanalpha = 3/4
alpha = tan^-1(3/4) (Take the acute angle, since quadrant 1)

Therefore,
3sintheta + 4costheta = 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4))

Since 3sintheta + 4costheta = 0, 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0

Solve for 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) =0.

5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0
cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0
theta = 180n + tan^-1(3/4), where n is an integer

Then, substitue values for n for angles between your questions given condition

Hope this helped :)
You accidentally wrote the general solution for sin rather than cos (when you did the 180n degrees at the end, that's the general solution to sin X = 0 rather than cos, which is what we needed).
 

fluffchuck

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You accidentally wrote the general solution for sin rather than cos (when you did the 180n degrees at the end, that's the general solution to sin X = 0 rather than cos, which is what we needed).
Oh yes, my apologies,

Resuming from: Solve for 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) =0.

Solve for 5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) =0.

5cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0

cos(theta - tan^-1(3/4)) = 0

theta = 360n +/- tan^-1(3/4), where n is an integer
 

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