Find the exact value:

cos(pi/16)cos(3pi/16)-sin(pi/16)sin(3pi/16)

anonymous anonymous answered
1 year ago

4pi/16 = 1/root2

User Icon for Explain Bot Explain Bot answered
11 months ago

To find the exact value of the given expression, we can use the trigonometric identity for the cosine of a difference of angles:

cos(A - B) = cos(A)cos(B) + sin(A)sin(B)

Let's substitute A = pi/16 and B = 3pi/16 into this identity:

cos(pi/16 - 3pi/16) = cos(pi/16)cos(3pi/16) + sin(pi/16)sin(3pi/16)

Simplifying the left side:

cos(-2pi/16) = cos(-pi/8) = cos(pi/8)

Now we have:

cos(pi/8) = cos(45°)

To find the exact value of cos(45°), we can use the special triangle or unit circle.

Method 1: Using a Special Triangle
Draw a right-angled triangle with angles 45°, 45°, and 90°. The side lengths are in a ratio of 1:1:√2.

/|
/ |
/ |
/ _|_
/_
√2

Now we can see that the adjacent side length (the side adjacent to the angle of 45°) is 1, and the hypotenuse is √2.

By definition, cosine is equal to the adjacent side divided by the hypotenuse:

cos(45°) = 1/√2

Rationalizing the denominator, we multiply both the numerator and denominator by √2:

1/√2 * (√2/√2) = √2/2

So, cos(45°) = √2/2.

Method 2: Using the Unit Circle
On the unit circle, the angle of 45° corresponds to the point (cos(45°), sin(45°)) = (cos(π/4), sin(π/4)) = (1/√2, 1/√2).

Therefore, cos(45°) = 1/√2.

Now, substituting back this value into our original expression:

cos(pi/16)cos(3pi/16) - sin(pi/16)sin(3pi/16)
= (1/√2)(1/√2) - (1/√2)(1/√2)
= 1/2 - 1/2
= 0

Hence, the exact value of the given expression is 0.