Precalculus

SENIOR
HIGH
SCHOOL

Module
Trigonometric Identities :
Fundamental Trigonometric Identities 11
Quarter 2
Pre Calculus
Quarter 2 – Module11 : Trigonometric Identities : Fundamental Trigonometric
Identities, First Edition, 2020

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 Precalculus
SENIOR
HIGH
SCHOOL

Module

11
Quarter 2

Fundamental Trigonometric Identities

Introductory Message

For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Pre - Calculus for Senior High School Self – Learning Module on
Fundamental Trigonometric Identities

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators from Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its Officer-In-Charge
Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin in partnership
with the Local Government of Pasig through its mayor, Honorable Victor Ma. Regis
N. Sotto.

The writers utilized the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum using the
Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) while overcoming their personal,
social, and economic constraints in schooling.
This learning material hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims
to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them
to manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the learner:

Welcome to the Pre - Calculus Self – Learning Module on Fundamental

Trigonometric Identities
The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often
used to depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create
and accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - These are what you will be able to know after completing the
lessons in the module

Pretest - This will measure your prior knowledge and the concepts to be
mastered throughout the lesson.

Recap - This section will measure what learnings and skills that you
understand from the previous lesson.

Lesson- This section will discuss the topic for this module.

Activities - This is a set of activities you will perform.

Wrap Up- This section summarizes the concepts and applications of the
lessons.

Valuing-this part will check the integration of values in the learning

competency.

Posttest - This will measure how much you have learned from the entire
module.
 EXPECTATIONS

Learning Objectives :

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to :

1) determine whether an equation is an identity or a conditional equation ;
and
2) simplify trigonometric expressions using fundamental trigonometric
identities.

PRETEST

Test I. Determine whether the given equation is an Identity or Conditional

_______________ 1. cos 2 θ + 1 = sin2 θ

3 3 3
_______________ 2. x 3 - 2 = ( x − √2 ) (x 2 + √2 x + √4)

_______________ 3. cos θ – 1 = sin θ

1− √x 1− 2 √x+ x
_______________ 4. =
1 + √x 1−x

cos 2 θ – sin 2 θ
_______________ 5. = cos θ − sin θ
sin θ + cos θ

Test II. Simplify the following trigonometric expressions using fundamental

trigonometric identities. Write your final answers on the space provided.

sin2 x
___________________ 1.
sec2 x−1
sin x
___________________ 2.
cos x tan x
cos 2 x
___________________ 3. 1–
sin x + 1
1 1
___________________ 4. +
tan2 x + 1 cot2 x+ 1
___________________ 5. ( sin x − cos x )2 + ( sin x + cos x )2
 RECAP

What are the real values of the variable x that make an expression or
equation defined in the set of real numbers ?

Every real value of x when substituted to an expression makes it

defined in the set of real numbers ; that is, the value of the expression is
real when x is real – is called the domain of the expression or equation.

To recall the concept of domain, consider the given expressions below

and try answering the following questions.

2x + 1 : What would be the domain of this polynomial expression ? How

would you write it in symbols ?

√𝐱 𝟐 − 𝟏 : For this expression to be defined in R, how would you write the

domain in interval form ?
𝐱
: What values of x will make the denominator zero and will result
𝐱 𝟐 − 𝟑𝐱−𝟒
to the entire expression being undefined ? Are these values included in the
domain of this expression ?
𝐱
: What are the allowed values of the variable x that will constitute
√𝐱−𝟏
the domain of this expression ?

LESSON

IDENTITY AND CONDITIONAL EQUATIONS

The domain of an expression or equation is the set of all real values of

the variable for which every term (or part) of the expression / equation is
defined in the set of real numbers R. The allowed values of the variable x
constitute the domain of the given expression or equation.

EXAMPLES :

sin θ :
Recall that for a real number x , sin x = sin θ for angle θ with radian
measures - it is also the second coordinate of the point P ( θ ) on the unit
circle. Each x corresponds to an angle θ and sin x is defined for all real
numbers. Therefore, the domain of the sine function is R.
tan θ – sin θ – cos 2θ :
sin θ kπ
If we rewrite the expression to - sin θ – cos 2θ and assign θ =
cos θ 2
where k is an odd integer, the result will be cos θ = 0. The expression
kπ
becomes undefined. Therefore, the domain is R \ { , k odd integer }
2

An identity is an equation that is true for all values of the variable in

the domain of the equation. In an identity, every element in the domain of
the equation satisfies the given equation. Identities are equations that are
always true for every element in its domain.

EXAMPLES :

1− √x 1− 2 √x+ x
1) = :
1 + √x 1−x

This is an identity because the right - hand side of the equation is

obtained by rationalizing the denominator of the left - hand side.

3 3 3
2) m3 - 2 = ( m − √2) ( m2 + √2m + √4) :
This is an identity because this is simply factoring of difference of two cubes.

cos θ
3) = cot θ :
sin θ

From the previous lesson on circular functions, it was established that

sin θ
the reciprocal of the tangent function ( cos θ ) is the cotangent function
cos θ
( ). Therefore, the left - side is identical to the right side of the equation.
sin θ

cos 2 x – sin 2 x
4) = cos x − sin x :
sin x + cos x

Recall that the sine and cosine functions have their domains in the set of
all real numbers R that will satisfy the given equation. Also, we can simplify
the expression on the left to be equal to the expression on the right side.

n2 1
5) 1 + n + = :
1−n 1−n

Even if there are restrictions on the value of the variable ( n ≠ 1 ), the

domain R\ { 1 }, will make the equation true. The expression on the left side
can also be simplified to become the expression on the right side.
 An equation that is not an identity is called a conditional equation. If
some values of the variable in the domain of the equation do not satisfy the
equation or do not make the equation true, then the equation is a
conditional equation.

A conditional equation must be false for at least one element from its
domain. If the conditional equation is false for every value in its domain,
then the equation has no solution. Such equation is called a ‘contradiction’.

EXAMPLES :

1) cos 2 θ + 1 = sin2 θ :
This is a conditional equation. If θ = 0, then the left - hand side of the
equation is 0, while the right - hand side is 2.

2) cos θ – 1 = sin θ :
This is also a conditional equation. If θ = 0, then both sides of the
equation are equal to 0. But if θ = , then the left-hand side of the equation
is 0, while the right - hand side is − 2. Not all possible values of θ will make
the equation true.

3) n2 − 1 = 0 :
Even if the expression on the left is a polynomial, some values of the
variable that are in the domain of the equation do not satisfy the equation or
do not make the equation true. Thus, this equation is conditional.

4) x 2 + 49 = ( x + 7 )2 :
By inspection, the left side of the equation is not algebraically equal to
the right side. However, there are values of the variable that will make this
equation true but some values will not satisfy this equation. We can say that
the given equation is true on the condition that x = 0.

m2 − 4
5) 2m + 1 = :
m−2
Simplifying the right side of the equation to a polynomial expression
will not result to the expression on the left side. There are values of the
variable ( such as m = 1 ) that will make this equation true but some values
will not, hence this is a conditional equation.
 FUNDAMENTAL TRIGONOMETRIC IDENTITIES

DEFINITION : A trigonometric identity is an equation involving

trigonometric ratios of an angle, where the equation holds true for a
defined range of values of the angle. Recall that if P ( x, y ) is the terminal
point on the unit circle corresponding to θ, then we have :

Trigonometric Identities Reciprocal Identities

1
y = sin θ = csc θ or csc  sin  = 1
sin θ
1
x = cos θ = sec θ or sec  cos  = 1
cos θ
y 1
= tan θ = cot θ or cot  tan  = 1
x tan θ

From the definitions above, we have the following quotient identities:

sin θ cos θ
Quotient Identities : tan θ = ; cot θ =
cos θ sin θ

Pythagorean Identities :
If P ( x, y ) is the terminal point on the unit circle corresponding to θ,
then x 2 + y 2 = 1. Since y = sin θ and x = cos θ, substituting we get :
x2 + y2 = 1
( sin θ )2 + ( cos θ )2 = 1
sin2 θ + cos2 θ = 1
Dividing both sides of identity above Dividing both sides of identity above
by cos2 θ we obtain this identity : by sin2 θ we obtain another identity:
sin2 θ + cos2 θ 1 sin2 θ + cos2 θ 1
= 2 =
2
cos θ cos2 θ sin θ sin 2 θ
2 2 2
sin θ cos θ sin θ cos2 θ
+ = sec 2 θ + = csc 2 θ
2
cos θ cos2 θ sin2 θ sin2 θ
𝐭𝐚𝐧𝟐 𝛉 + 1 = 𝐬𝐞𝐜 𝟐 𝛉 or 1 + 𝐜𝐨𝐭 𝟐 𝛉 = 𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 𝛉 or
𝐭𝐚𝐧𝟐 𝛉 = 𝐬𝐞𝐜 𝟐 𝛉 – 1 𝐜𝐨𝐭 𝟐 𝛉 = 𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 𝛉 – 1

Even - Odd Identities and their Reciprocals :

The previous lesson on the base graph of trigonometric functions, described
the cosine function as an even function while the sine function is odd. The
corresponding reciprocal functions follow the same Even - Odd Identities :
sin ( - θ ) = - sin θ ; csc ( - θ ) = - csc θ
cos ( - θ ) = cos θ ; sec ( - θ ) = sec θ

From these properties, the following tangent identity can be derived :

sin ( − θ )
tan ( - θ ) =
cos ( − θ )
− sin θ
=
cos θ
sin θ
tan ( - θ ) = − = − tan θ ; cot ( - θ ) = - cot θ
cos θ
 Take note that these identities hold if θ is taken either as an angle or
as a real number x ( or any other variable ).

The reciprocal, quotient Pythagorean and even – odd identities

constitute what we call the fundamental trigonometric identities. We use
these identities to simplify trigonometric expressions.

EXAMPLES :
Use the fundamental identities to simplify the following expressions.
cos θ
1) 3) cos2 y + cos 2 y tan2 y
cot θ
tan x cos x 1+ tan2 θ
2) 4)
sin x 1+ cot2 θ

SOLUTIONS :
cos θ cos θ
1) = cos θ use the quotient identity for cotangent
cot θ
sin θ
sin θ
= cos θ ( ) apply the rules for dividing fractions
cos θ
sin θ
= cos θ ( ) cancellation ( common factors )
cos θ
cos θ
= 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝛉 simplified trigonometric expression
cot θ

sin x
tan x cos x cos x
cos x
2) = use the quotient identity for tangent
sin x sin x
sin x cos x
cos x
= divide fractions or cancel common factors
sin x
sin x
= simplify the terms
sin x
tan x cos x
= 1 simplified trigonometric expression
sin x

3) cos2 y + cos2 y tan2 y = cos2 y ( 1 + tan2 y ) factor the expression

= cos y sec y
2 2
apply Pythagorean identity
1
= cos2 y use reciprocal identity
cos2 y
2
cos y
= cancel common factors
cos2 y
cos 2 y + cos 2 y tan2 y = 1 simplified trigonometric expression

1+ tan2 θ sec2 θ
4) = apply Pythagorean identities
1+ cot2 θ 𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 𝛉
1
cos2 θ
= 1 use reciprocal identities for sine and cosine
sin 2 θ
sin2 θ
= apply rule for dividing fractions
cos2 θ
1+ tan2 θ
= 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝟐 𝛉 simplify using quotient identity for tangent
1+ cot2 θ
 ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1 : Practice !

Directions :
• From the list of equations given below, determine which equation is
identity and which is conditional.
• Write the equations on the appropriate column in the table.
GIVEN :
cos θ = sin θ + 1 cos 2 θ ( 1 + tan2 θ ) = cos 2 θ sec 2 θ
sin2 θ − 1 = cos 2 θ tan θ = cot θ
sin2 θ
= tan2 θ csc 2 θ − cot 2 θ = 1
cos2 θ

IDENTITY CONDITIONAL

ACTIVITY 2 : Keep Practicing !

Complete the process of simplifying the given expression by writing the
appropriate terms and indicating the name of the trigonometric identity or
mathematical rule used in a particular step. Write your answers on the
space provided. ( Some parts are done for you ! )

𝐬𝐢𝐧𝟐 𝐱
GIVEN : Identities / Rules used in each step
𝐬𝐞𝐜 𝟐 𝐱−𝟏
sin2 x sin2 x
SOLUTIONS : =
sec2 x−1 tan2 x

= use Quotient identity for tangent

sin2 x cos2 x
= ( )
1 sin2 x

= cancellation ( common factors )

= simplified trigonometric expression

 WRAP-UP

Points to Ponder :

o What constitute the domain of an expression or equation ?

o Differentiate an identity from a conditional equation.

o If a conditional equation becomes ‘false’ for one value in its domain,

does it follow that the entire equation will be false for all the other
elements from its domain ?

o Name the fundamental trigonometric identities and their reciprocals.

VALUING

What is your identity ?

Knowing who you are and what you can do is what defines you as a
person. In any given condition, give your best and always be true to yourself.
No need to pretend of being somebody else. Accepting who you are,
including your strengths and weaknesses becomes your true identity.
Respect other people’s identity and understand their conditions at all times.
Just as God almighty loves you unconditionally, can you learn to love
and accept yourself without conditions ?

POSTTEST

Multiple Choice: Write the letter of the correct answer on the space provided.

______ 1) These are the values of the variable which when substituted, will
make the expression defined in the set of real numbers.
a. domain c. identities
b. range d. constants
______ 2) It is an equation that has no solution.
a. contradiction c. conditional equation
b. identity d. trigonometric equation

______ 3) Which of the following equations is an identity ?

a. x + 2 = 10 c. sin2 A = 1 - cos2 A
n2 − 4
b. = 1 + 2n d. cos 2 θ + 1 = sin2 θ
n−2

______ 4) Which of the following is a conditional equation ?

a. 10 – b = 8 c. sin2 A + cos2 A = 1
cos x 3 3 3
b. sin x = d. m3 - 2 = ( m − √2) ( m2 + √2m + √4)
cot x

______ 5) What do you call an equation that can be false for one or more
values substituted from its domain ?
a. conditional equation c. identity
b. contradiction d. trigonometric equations

cos B
______ 6) Which of the following is the simplified expression of ?
cot B
a. cos B c. sin B
b. cos2 B d. tan B

______ 7) Which of the following is the same as the expression tan2 x ?

sec2 θ cos2 x
a. c.
𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 θ sin2 x
sec2 x 1 − tan2 x
b. d.
𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 𝐱 cot2 x+1

______ 8) Determine the trigonometric identity used in this process of

tan2 y+1 sec2 y
simplifying the given expression : =
1+ cot2 y 𝐜𝐬𝐜 𝟐 𝒚
a. Pythagorean identities c. reciprocal identities
b. quotient identities d. tangent identities

______ 9) Which of the following statements is false ?

a. cos2 x + sin2 x = 1 is a Pythagorean identity
b. x = x – 2 is a contradiction and has no solution
sin2 x
c. cos 2 x is the simplified form of the expression
sec2 x−1
d. x+2=x is a true equation on the condition that x = 0

______ 10) Which of the following statements is true about the given
equation : cos x – 1 = sin x
a. the given equation is an identity
b. the given equation is a contradiction
c. the given equation is true on the condition that x = 0
d. the given equation is identical on the condition that x = 0
 KEY TO CORRECTION

REFERENCES
BOOKS :
Alferez, M., Duro C. Intermediate Algebra, ( p. 21 ), MSA Academic Institute, 2012.
Deped, Pre – Calculus : SHS Teaching Guide, ( pp. 175 – 185 ), Deped Learning
Portal, 1st Edition, 2016.
Deped, Pre – Calculus : SHS Learner’s Material, ( pp. 172 – 179 ), Deped Learning
Portal, 1st Edition, 2016.
Oracion C., Oracion V. Elementary Algebra, ( pp. 274 – 275 ), Art Angel
Printshop, 3rd Edition, 2003.

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