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Appendix B Trigonometric Identities

Sine and Cosine with the unit circle
Fundamental relationships of trigonometric functions can be deduced from the remarkable formula of Euler :
\begin{equation} e^{i\theta} = \cos(\theta) + i\sin(\theta) \quad (\theta \in \mathbb{R})\tag{B.1} \end{equation}
where \(i \in \mathbb{C}\) is a complex number with \(i^2 = -1\text{.}\) For instance, since complex conjugation corresponds to reflection along the real axis, \(\overline{e^{i\theta}} = e^{i(-\theta)}\) for any \(\theta\text{,}\) so
\begin{equation*} \cos(\theta) - i\sin(\theta) \equiv \cos(-\theta)+i\sin(-\theta). \end{equation*}
From identity we conclude that sine is an odd function and cosine is an even function, that is
\begin{equation} \sin(-\theta) \equiv -\sin(\theta)\ \text{and}\ \cos(-\theta) \equiv \cos(\theta).\tag{B.2} \end{equation}
Also,
\begin{align*} 1 & = e^{i\theta}e^{-i\theta}\\ & = (\cos(\theta) + i\sin(\theta))(\cos(\theta)-i\sin(\theta)\\ & = \cos^2(\theta) + \sin^2(\theta). \end{align*}
That is
\begin{equation} \sin^2(\theta) + \cos^2(\theta) \equiv 1.\tag{B.3} \end{equation}
Now, whenever \(\sec(\theta)\) is defined, i.e. \(\cos(\theta) \neq 0\text{,}\) by dividing \(\cos^2(\theta)\) on both sides of (B.3), we obtain another form of the identity
\begin{equation} \tan^2(\theta) + 1 \equiv \sec^2(\theta).\tag{B.4} \end{equation}
Compare the real and imaginary parts on both sides of the equation
\begin{align*} \cos(A+B) & + i\sin(A+B) = e^{i(A+B)} = e^{iA}e^{iB}\\ &= (\cos(A) + i\sin(A))(\cos(B) + i\sin(B))\\ &= \cos(A)\cos(B)-\sin(A)\sin(B)\\ &\phantom{=}+i(\sin(A)\cos(B)+\sin(B)\cos(A)).\\ &=\cos(A)\cos(B)-\sin(A)\sin(B)\\ &\phantom{=}+i(\sin(A)\cos(B)+\sin(B)\cos(A)) \end{align*}
we get the following angle-sum identities.
\begin{gather} \sin(A+B) \equiv \sin(A)\cos(B)+\sin(B)\cos(A)\tag{B.5}\\ \cos(A+B) \equiv \cos(A)\cos(B)-\sin(A)\sin(B)\tag{B.6} \end{gather}
Replacing \(B\) by \(-B\) and using (B.2) we obtain
\begin{equation} \sin(A-B) \equiv \sin(A)\cos(B)-\sin(B)\cos(A)\tag{B.7} \end{equation}
\begin{equation} \cos(A-B) \equiv \cos(A)\cos(B)+\sin(A)\sin(B)\tag{B.8} \end{equation}
Before moving on to the sum-product identities, we offer another way of deducing the identities above of one of them (actually any one of them). Suppose you know the identity (B.5)
\begin{equation*} \sin(A+B) \equiv \sin(A)\cos(B)+\sin(B)\cos(A) \end{equation*}
Now think of \(A\) as the variable and \(B\) as a constant. Then differentiating with respect to \(A\) immediately yields,
\begin{align*} \cos(A + B) & \equiv \cos(A)\cos(B) +\sin(B)(-\sin(A)) \\ & \equiv \cos(A)\cos(B) -\sin(B)\sin(A). \end{align*}
This is just (B.6). The other two identities can be obtained by replacing \(B\) by \(-B\) just as before.
We will now deduce a couple identities relating sum and product of trigonometric functions. Halving the sum of (B.5) and (B.7) yields
\begin{equation} \frac{1}{2}(\sin(A+B) + \sin(A-B)) \equiv \sin(A)\cos(B).\tag{B.9} \end{equation}
Likewise, from (B.6) and (B.8) we deduce
\begin{equation} \frac{1}{2}(\cos(A+B) + \cos(A-B)) \equiv \cos(A)\cos(B)\tag{B.10} \end{equation}
\begin{equation} \frac{1}{2}(\cos(A-B) - \cos(A+B)) \equiv \sin(A)\sin(B)\tag{B.11} \end{equation}
By setting \(B=A\) in (B.5), we get
\begin{equation} \sin(2A) \equiv 2\sin(A)\cos(A).\tag{B.12} \end{equation}
Similarly, we deduce from (B.6) and (B.3) that
\begin{equation} \cos(2A) \equiv \cos^2(A)-\sin^2(A) \equiv 2\cos^2(A) -1 \equiv 1-2\sin^2(A).\tag{B.13} \end{equation}
And hence,
\begin{equation} \cos^2(A) \equiv \frac{1+\cos(2A)}{2}, \qquad \sin^2(A) \equiv \frac{1-\cos(2A)}{2}\tag{B.14} \end{equation}
Here is a way taken from [1] of deducing the angle-sum formulas without using complex numbers.
Angle-sum formula
In one coordinate system, the coordinates of \(A\) and \(C\) are \((1,0)\) and \((\cos(\alpha + \beta), \sin(\alpha+\beta))\text{,}\) respectively. In the coordinate system in which \(B=(1,0)\text{,}\) \(A = (\cos(\alpha), -\sin(\alpha))\) and \(C=(\cos(\beta), \sin(\beta))\text{.}\)
Now by computing the square of the distance between \(A\) and \(C\) in these two coordinate systems, we conclude that
\begin{align*} (\cos(\alpha + \beta)-1)^2 + (\sin(\alpha + \beta))^2 \equiv (\cos(\beta)-\cos(\alpha))^2\\ &\phantom{\equiv}+ (\sin(\beta)-\sin(\alpha))^2 \end{align*}
Expanding both sides and then simplifying by the Pythagorean identity, one arrives to the angle-sum formula for cosine.
\begin{gather*} \cos(\alpha + \beta) \equiv \cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta) - \sin(\alpha)\sin(\beta). \end{gather*}
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