Trig Identities Summary Sheet

Strategies for Proving Trig Identities:

Write everything in terms of sine and cosine

Work with the messiest expression first
Keep your eye on where your headed
If you have squares consider using cos22 + sin22 = 1
Consider factoring and reducing and expression
Consider expanding

If you have something like 1 + cos 2 in the denominator, try multiplying by

When you get stacks of fractions, multiply by the reciprocal of the denominator to make the
expression easier on your eyes
If there is more than one angle in the identity, consider using a Compound Indentity

Examples:
Prove the following trigonometric identities.
a)
b)