Q.tan15°=?
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Trigonometric Identity Proof
Trigonometric Identity Proof: From Intuition to Precision
Imagine you're standing at the corner of a right triangle. The two shorter sides — one horizontal, one vertical — and the sloping hypotenuse are all connected. If you change the angle at your corner, the lengths of the sides change, but the relationship between them stays fixed. That fixed relationship is what a trigonometric identity captures.
The Core Idea
A trigonometric identity is an equation involving trigonometric functions (like sinθ, cosθ, tanθ) that is true for every angle θ where both sides are defined. It's not a conditional equation (like sinθ=0.5, which is true only for specific angles). It's an eternal truth about how these functions relate.
The most famous one is:
sin2θ+cos2θ=1
This holds for any angle θ — acute, obtuse, negative, whatever. Why? Because on the unit circle, sinθ is the y-coordinate and cosθ is the x-coordinate of a point on a circle of radius 1. The Pythagorean theorem says x2+y2=1, so sin2θ+cos2θ=1 is just the Pythagorean theorem in disguise.
Proving an Identity: The Method
When you're asked to prove a trigonometric identity, you're not solving for an angle. You're showing that the left-hand side (LHS) and right-hand side (RHS) are the same expression, just written differently.
The golden rule: Start with one side and transform it into the other, using known identities and algebraic manipulation. Never move terms across the equals sign as if solving an equation — that assumes the identity is already true, which is what you're trying to prove.
A Simple Example
Prove: tanθ⋅cosθ=sinθ
Step 1: Pick a side to start with. Usually, the more complicated side is easier to simplify. Here, the LHS looks more complex.
Step 2: Replace tanθ with cosθsinθ (a known identity).
tanθ⋅cosθ=cosθsinθ⋅cosθ
Step 3: Cancel cosθ (provided cosθ=0 — but the identity holds for all angles where both sides are defined, and at cosθ=0, tanθ is undefined anyway).
=sinθ
That's it. The LHS simplifies exactly to the RHS.
The Toolbox of Known Identities
To prove any identity, you need to know the basic building blocks:
| Identity | Formula |
|---|---|
| Pythagorean | sin2θ+cos2θ=1 |
| Quotient | tanθ=cosθsinθ, cotθ=sinθcosθ |
| Reciprocal | cscθ=sinθ1, secθ=cosθ1, cotθ=tanθ1 |
| Even-Odd | sin(−θ)=−sinθ, cos(−θ)=cosθ |
A common mistake is to treat sin2θ as (sinθ)2 — which it is — but then incorrectly think sin2θ+cos2θ=1 means sinθ+cosθ=1. It does not. The square applies to the whole sine value, not to the angle.
A Slightly Harder Proof
Prove: cosθ1−cos2θ=sinθtanθ
Start with LHS: cosθ1−cos2θ
From the Pythagorean identity, 1−cos2θ=sin2θ. So:
cosθsin2θ=sinθ⋅cosθsinθ=sinθtanθ
That's the RHS. Done. …
Writing 15° as a difference of standard angles, such as 45°−30°, lets us apply the tangent subtraction formula.
…
Write 15°=45°−30° and apply tan(A−B)=1+tanAtanBtanA−tanB.
tan15°=tan(45°−30°)=1+tan45°tan30°tan45°−tan30°=1+311−31=3+13−1
Rationalise by multiplying numerator and denominator by (3−1): …
Showing the 12 most recent of 57 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.tan15°=?(a) 2+3(b) 2−3(c) 31(d) 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
Write 15°=45°−30° and apply tan(A−B)=1+tanAtanBtanA−tanB.
tan15°=tan(45°−30°)=1+tan45°tan30°tan45°−tan30°=1+311−31=3+13−1
Rationalise by multiplying numerator and denominator by (3−1): …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.cos (x - y) - cos (x + y) = ..............
›Reveal solutionSolution
Use the sum-to-product identity for cos A − cos B to simplify directly.
Use the identity:
cosA−cosB=−2sin(2A+B)sin(2A−B)
Here A=x−y and B=x+y:
2A+B=2(x−y)+(x+y)=x,2A−B=2(x−y)−(x+y)=−y
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- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Match the columns — Column A: sin2x. Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x(b) 1−tan2x2tanx(c) 1+tan2x2tanx(d) −sinx(e) sinx(f) −cosx(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin2x=2sinxcosx, which in terms of tanx becomes 1+tan2x2tanx.
Start from sin2x=2sinxcosx.
Write 2sinxcosx=cos2x+sin2x2sinxcosx (dividing by 1, since sin2x+cos2x=1).
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- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Match the columns — Column A: cos2x. Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x(b) 1−tan2x2tanx(c) 1+tan2x2tanx(d) −sinx(e) sinx(f) −cosx(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos2x=cos2x−sin2x, which in terms of tanx becomes 1+tan2x1−tan2x.
Start from cos2x=cos2x−sin2x.
Write this as cos2x+sin2xcos2x−sin2x (dividing by 1, since cos2x+sin2x=1).
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- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Match the columns — Column A: tan2x. Choose its correct equivalent from Column B.(a) 1+tan2x1−tan2x(b) 1−tan2x2tanx(c) 1+tan2x2tanx(d) −sinx(e) sinx(f) −cosx(g) cosx
›Reveal solutionSolution
tan2x=1−tan2x2tanx, obtained by dividing the sine and cosine double-angle identities.
Using sin2x=1+tan2x2tanx and cos2x=1+tan2x1−tan2x (both derived above):
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.sin2x=(a) 2sinxcosx(b) sinxcosx(c) 1+tan2x2tanx(d) 2tanx1+tan2x
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin2x=2sinxcosx.
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.cos2x=(a) 1+tan2x2tanx(b) 1−tan2x2tanx(c) 1+tan2x1−tan2x(d) 1−tan2x1+tan2x
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos2x=1+tan2x1−tan2x.
Starting from cos2x=cos2x−sin2x, divide numerator and denominator by cos2x (using cos2x−sin2x=cos2x(1−tan2x) and 1=cos2x+sin2x=cos2x(1+tan2x)):
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.4sin3x−3sinx=(a) sin3x(b) cos3x(c) −cos3x(d) −sin3x
›Reveal solutionSolution
4sin3x−3sinx=−sin3x.
The standard triple-angle identity is sin3x=3sinx−4sin3x.
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.2tanx1−tan2x=(a) tan2x(b) cot2x(c) cos2x(d) sin2x
›Reveal solutionSolution
2tanx1−tan2x=cot2x.
The double-angle formula for tangent is tan2x=1−tan2x2tanx.
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.cos(A−B)=(a) cosA−cosB(b) cosAcosB+sinAsinB(c) cosAcosB−sinAsinB(d) cosAsinB−sinAcosB
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos(A−B)=cosAcosB+sinAsinB.
This is one of the standard compound angle formulas, derived using the unit circle / geometric construction (or from cos(A−B)=cos(A+(−B)) and the evenness of cosine, oddness of sine).
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.sin(A+B)+sin(A−B)=(a) 2sinAsinB(b) 2sinAcosB(c) 2cosAcosB(d) 2cosAsinB
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin(A+B)+sin(A−B)=2sinAcosB.
Expand each term: sin(A+B)=sinAcosB+cosAsinB, and sin(A−B)=sinAcosB−cosAsinB.
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.cos(A+B)+cos(A−B)=(a) 2cosAsinB(b) 2cosAcosB(c) 2sinAsinB(d) 2sinAcosB
›Reveal solutionSolution
cos(A+B)+cos(A−B)=2cosAcosB.
Expand each term: cos(A+B)=cosAcosB−sinAsinB, and cos(A−B)=cosAcosB+sinAsinB.
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