Q.Integrate the following function: sinxsin2xsin3x
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Why turn a product into a sum?
Products of trig functions are messy — they don't integrate nicely and are hard to simplify. Sums are clean: you can separate and integrate them term-by-term. The Product-to-Sum identities convert a product of sines and cosines into a sum (or difference), turning something like sin3xcos5x into 21[sin8x+sin(−2x)].
The core idea in one sentence
Any product of two sines and/or cosines can be rewritten as half the sum (or difference) of two sine/cosine functions whose arguments are the sum and difference of the original angles.
The four identities
For any two angles A and B:
sinAcosBcosAsinBcosAcosBsinAsinB=21[sin(A+B)+sin(A−B)]=21[sin(A+B)−sin(A−B)]=21[cos(A+B)+cos(A−B)]=21[cos(A−B)−cos(A+B)]
The pattern:
- Same functions (coscos or sinsin) → result uses cosines.
- Different functions (sincos or cossin) → result uses sines.
- The sinsin case has a minus before cos(A+B) — the one that trips people up.
Where they come from (the derivation)
They follow directly from the sum and difference formulas:
sin(A+B)sin(A−B)cos(A+B)cos(A−B)=sinAcosB+cosAsinB=sinAcosB−cosAsinB=cosAcosB−sinAsinB=cosAcosB+sinAsinB
Add the first two: sin(A+B)+sin(A−B)=2sinAcosB. Divide by 2 → the first identity. Subtract them → the second. Add/subtract the cosine formulas → the other two.
If you forget an identity, derive it in 10 seconds from the sum/difference formulas.
Worked examples
Simplify sin5xcos2x. With A=5x, B=2x (first identity):
sin5xcos2x=21[sin7x+sin3x]
Simplify sin4xsinx. With A=4x, B=x (fourth identity):
sin4xsinx=21[cos3x−cos5x]
The sinsin identity has a minus between the two cosines, with cos(A−B) first. Writing 21[cos(A+B)−cos(A−B)] is wrong.
--- …
Reduce the triple product to a sum using product-to-sum twice.
First sinxsin2x=21[cosx−cos3x], so
sinxsin2xsin3x=21[cosxsin3x−cos3xsin3x].
Now cosxsin3x=21[sin4x+sin2x] and cos3xsin3x=21sin6x, giving
=41[sin4x+sin2x−sin6x].
Integrate term by term: …
Two product-to-sum steps give sinxsin2xsin3x=41(sin4x+sin2x−sin6x), and integrating gives −161cos4x−81cos2x+241cos6x+C.
Plan
A product of three sines can't be integrated as is, so peel it into a sum by applying product-to-sum identities twice.
Step 1: pair two factors
sinxsin2x=21[cos(x−2x)−cos(x+2x)]=21[cosx−cos3x]
(using cos(−x)=cosx). So
sinxsin2xsin3x=21(cosx−cos3x)sin3x=21[cosxsin3x−cos3xsin3x].
Step 2: expand each product
cosxsin3x=21[sin(3x+x)−sin(x−3x)]=21[sin4x+sin2x] (since sin(−2x)=−sin2x), and cos3xsin3x=21sin6x. Hence …
Method: Product-to-sum applied twice for a triple sine product
A product of three sines integrates only after being turned into a sum. Reduce two factors first, distribute the third, reduce again, then integrate each single-angle term.
Steps
Step 1: Combine two of the sines.
sinAsinB=21[cos(A−B)−cos(A+B)]
For example sinxsin2x=21[cosx−cos3x].
Step 2: Multiply by the third factor and reduce once more. …
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using the wrong sign or order in the sinsin identity.
Why it's wrong: the correct form is sinAsinB=21[cos(A−B)−cos(A+B)] — cos(A−B) first, then a minus. Swapping them flips signs on the final cosines. Correct approach: apply the identity exactly as stated at each of the two reduction steps.
Mistake 2: Attempting to integrate the triple product directly. …
- KEAM 2024Set eng-2024-06054 marksMCQQ.cos18∘cos42∘cos78∘= (A) 41cos36∘ (B) 41cos72∘ (C) 41sin72∘ (D) 41sin36∘ (E) None of the above
›Reveal solutionSolution
Pairing cos42∘cos78∘ and combining reduces the product to 41sin36∘.
cos42∘cos78∘=21(cos120∘+cos36∘)=21(−21+cos36∘).
Multiplying by cos18∘ and evaluating numerically: …
- KEAM 2025Set eng-2025-04234 marksMCQQ.If sinx+siny=a, cosx+cosy=b and x+y=32π, then the value of ba is equal to (A) 33 (B) 23 (C) 3 (D) 43 (E) 63
›Reveal solutionSolution
a/b = tan((x+y)/2) = tan(pi/3) = sqrt3.
Concept and Intuition
Sum-to-product turns sin x + sin y and cos x + cos y into forms sharing the common factor 2 cos((x-y)/2), so their ratio is simply tan of the half-sum (x+y)/2.
Step-by-Step Solution
- a = sin x + sin y = 2 sin((x+y)/2) cos((x-y)/2).
- b = cos x + cos y = 2 cos((x+y)/2) cos((x-y)/2).
- a/b = tan((x+y)/2) = tan(pi/3) = sqrt3. …
- KEAM 2025Set eng-2025-04294 marksMCQQ.The value of sin125πsin12π is equal to (A) 1 (B) 41 (C) 21 (D) 23 (E) 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin125πsin12π=sin75∘sin15∘=21[cos60∘−cos90∘]=21⋅21=41. …
- KEAM 2025Set eng-2025-04234 marksMCQQ.Let f(x)=cosx. Then the value of 21[f(x+y)+f(y−x)]−f(x)f(y) is equal to (A) 2 (B) −2 (C) 1 (D) −1 (E) 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
The expression simplifies identically to 0.
Concept and Intuition
Using the sum-to-product identity cosP+cosQ, the bracket collapses to 2cos x cos y; halving it exactly cancels the product term cos x cos y.
Step-by-Step Solution
- cos(x+y)=cosxcosy−sinxsiny.
- cos(y−x)=cosycosx+sinysinx.
- Sum =2cosxcosy, so 21[⋯]=cosxcosy. …
- KEAM 2024Set eng-2024-06054 marksMCQQ.cos7x+cos5xsin7x+sin5x= (A) sin6xtan6x (B) cos6xtan6x (C) sin6x (D) cos6x (E) tan6x
›Reveal solutionSolution
Apply sum-to-product to numerator and denominator; the cosx cancels leaving tan6x.
sin7x+sin5x=2sin6xcosx,cos7x+cos5x=2cos6xcosx. …
- KEAM 2023Set eng-2023-P2-B24 marksMCQQ.Let k be a real number such that sin143πcos143π=kcos14π. Then the value of 4k is (A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
sin(3pi/14) cos(3pi/14) = (1/2) sin(3pi/7) = (1/2) cos(pi/14), so k = 1/2 and 4k = 2.
Concept and Intuition
The double-angle identity sin A cos A = (1/2) sin 2A, plus the co-function relation sin(pi/2 - x) = cos x, collapses the expression onto cos(pi/14).
Step-by-Step Solution
- sin(3pi/14) cos(3pi/14) = (1/2) sin(6pi/14) = (1/2) sin(3pi/7).
- 3pi/7 = pi/2 - pi/14, so sin(3pi/7) = cos(pi/14). …
- KEAM 2026Set eng-2026-04224 marksMCQQ.The value of 4cos36∘cos72∘ is equal to (A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 2 (D) 2 (E) 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
[!TLDR]
With cos36∘cos72∘=41, the expression 4cos36∘cos72∘=1.
Concept
The standard exact values are cos36∘=45+1 and cos72∘=45−1 (they can also be derived from multiple-angle identities in the NCERT/CBSE trigonometry syllabus).
Solution …
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