Digital Lesson

Solving Trigonometric
Equations
 1
sin x = is a trigonometric equation.
2
x = 6π is one of infinitely many solutions of y = sin x.
y
-19π -11π -7π π 5π 13π 17π 25π
6 6 6 6 1 6 6 6 6 1
x y=2
-3π -2π -π π 2π 3π 4π
-1

All the solutions for x can be expressed in the form of

a general solution.
x = π + 2k π and x = 5 π + 2k π (k = 0, ±1, ± 2, ± 3,  ).
6 6

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 Find the general solution for the equation sec  = 2.
1 1
From cos  = , it follows that cos  = .
sec  2
1 π 1
All values of  for which cos  = y cos( 3 + 2kπ) =
2 P 2
are solutions of the equation.
Two solutions are  = ± π . 1
3
x
1
All angles that are coterminal 2
with ± π are also solutions and
3
can be expressed by adding integer Q
-π 1
multiples of 2π. cos( 3 + 2kπ) =
2

The general solution can be written as  = ± π + 2kπ .

3

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 Example: Solve tan x = 1.
The graph of y = 1 intersects the graph of y = tan x infinitely
many times. y

- π – 2π -π–π π π + π π + 2π π + 3π
4 4 4 4 4 4
y=1 x
-π π 2π 3π

y = tan(x)

x = -3π x = -π x = π x = 3π x = 5π
2 2 2 2 2
Points of intersection are at x = π and every multiple of π added or
π 4
subtracted from 4 .
General solution: x = π + kπ for k any integer.
4
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 Example:
Solve the equation 3sin x + 2 = sin x for  π ≤ x ≤ π .
2 2

3sin x + 2 = sin x y

3sin x  sin x + 2 = 0
2sin x + 2 = 0 Collect like terms. 1 x
-π
2 1 4
sin x = 
2 2
y=-
2

x = 4π is the only solution in the interval  2π ≤ x ≤ 2π .

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 Example: To find all solutions of cos4(2x) = 9 .
16
Take the fourth root of both sides to obtain:
cos(2x)= ± 3 y
2

From the unit circle, the π 1

π π
solutions for 2 are 6 x
-π
2 = ± π + kπ, 6
6
k any integer.
x=- 3 x= 3
2 2

π + k ( π ), for k any integer.

Answer:  = ± 12
2

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 Find all solutions of the trigonometric equation:
tan2  + tan  = 0.

tan2  + tan  = 0 Original equation

tan  (tan  +1) = 0 Factor.

Therefore, tan  = 0 or tan  = -1.

The solutions for tan  = 0 are the values  = kπ,

for k any integer.
The solutions for tan  = 1 are  = - 4π + kπ,
for k any integer.

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 The trigonometric equation 2 sin2  + 3 sin  + 1 = 0 is
quadratic in form.

2 sin2  + 3 sin  + 1 = 0 implies that

(2 sin  + 1)(sin  + 1) = 0.
Therefore, 2 sin  + 1 = 0 or sin  + 1 = 0.
It follows that sin  = - 1 or sin  = -1.
2

Solutions:
 = - π + 2kπ and  = 7π + 2kπ, from sin  = - 1
6 6 2
 = -π + 2kπ, from sin  = -1

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 Example: Solve 8 sin  = 3 cos2  with  in the
interval [0, 2π].
Rewrite the equation in terms of only one trigonometric function.

8 sin  = 3(1 sin2  ) Use the Pythagorean Identity.

3 sin2  + 8 sin   3 = 0. A “quadratic” equation with sin x
as the variable
(3 sin   1)(sin  + 3) = 0 Factor.
Therefore, 3 sin   1 = 0 or sin  + 3 = 0
Solutions: sin  = 1 or sin  = -3
3
 = sin1( 1 ) = 0.3398 and  = π  sin1( 1) = 2.8107.
3 3

s
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 Solve: 5cos2  + cos  – 3 = 0 for 0 ≤  ≤ π.

The equation is quadratic. Let y = cos  and solve 5y2 + y  3 = 0.

y = (-1 ± 61 ) = 0.6810249 or -0.8810249
10
Therefore, cos  = 0.6810249 or –0.8810249.

Use the calculator to find values of  in 0 ≤  ≤ π.

This is the range of the inverse cosine function.

The solutions are:

 = cos 1(0.6810249 ) = 0.8216349 and
 = cos 1(0.8810249) = 2.6488206

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 Example: Find the intersection points of the graphs of
y = sin  and y = cos . y
π + kπ
4
1
The two solutions 5 -π -π
4 4 x
for  between 0 and
2π are π and 5π . 1
4 4 π + kπ
4

The graphs of y = sin  and y = cos  intersect at

points where sin  = cos .
This is true only for 45-45-90 triangles.
The general solution is  = 4π + kπ, for k any integer.

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