document.write( "Question 1074035: How do I find the exact value of the trigonometric expression given that cscU=-13/5 and cosV=3/4. How do I solve tan(V-U) using the given values?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #688858 by KMST(5328)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You do not seen to have quite enough information listed.
\n" ); document.write( "With just the information you posted, the possibilities multiply, and you get 4 different answers.
\n" ); document.write( "If you had some clue that led you to the signs (positive or negative) of \"sin%28V%29\" and \"cos%28U%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "you could use the information given and trigonometric identities to find one answer.
\n" ); document.write( "That one answer may start as a cumbersome expression requiring simplification,
\n" ); document.write( "and ended as an ugly expression with square roots, but it would be the exact value.
\n" ); document.write( "Without more information there are 2 possible \"sin%28V%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "and 2 possible \"cos%28U%29\" , leading to 4 answers, and a lot more work.
\n" ); document.write( "By definition, \"csc%28U%29=1%2Fsin%28U%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "so \"csc%28U%29=-13%2F5\" means \"sin%28U%29=-5%2F13\" .
\n" ); document.write( "Angle \"U\" could be in quadrant 3, with a negative cosine,
\n" ); document.write( "or in quadrant 4, with a positive cosine.
\n" ); document.write( "Either way, we know that for \"U\" (as for any angle)
\n" ); document.write( "\"cos%5E2%28U%29%2Bsin%5E2%28U%29=1\" .
\n" ); document.write( "So, \"cos%5E2%28U%29=1-sin%5E2%28U%29=1-%28-5%2F13%29%5E2=1-25%2F169=%28169-25%29%2F169=144%2F169\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "meaning that either \"cos%28U%5B4%5D%29=sqrt%28144%2F169%29=12%2F13\" or \"cos%28U%5B3%5D%29=-sqrt%28144%2F169%29=-12%2F13\" .
\n" ); document.write( "Similarly, from \"cos%28V%29=3%2F4\" we can find
\n" ); document.write( "\"sin%5E2%28V%29=1-cos%5E2%28V%29=1-%283%2F4%29%5E2=1-9%2F16=7%2F16\" , and
\n" ); document.write( "\"sin%28V%5B1%5D%29=sqrt%287%2F16%29=sqrt%287%29%2F4\" for angle \"V%5B1%5D\" in quadrant 1,
\n" ); document.write( "or \"sin%28V%5B4%5D%29=-sqrt%287%2F16%29=-sqrt%287%29%2F4\" for angle \"V%5B4%5D\" in quadrant 4.
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\n" ); document.write( "There are \"formulas\" called trigonometric identities
\n" ); document.write( "that allow you to calculate the trigonometric functions of sums of angles, multiples of angles, and half of angles.
\n" ); document.write( "You can look them up online;
\n" ); document.write( "just search for \"trigonometric identities\" or \"trig identities.\"
\n" ); document.write( "I see no point in memorizing most of those identities,
\n" ); document.write( "unless your teacher/instructor insists that you must memorize them.
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\n" ); document.write( "For this particular problem, there are different ways to go about it.
\n" ); document.write( "1) You could use the trigonometric identities
\n" ); document.write( "\"sin%28A-B%29=sin%28A%29cos%28B%29-cos%28A%29sin%28B%29\" , and/or
\n" ); document.write( "\"cos%28A-B%29=cos%28A%29cos%28B%29%2Bsin%28A%29sin%28B%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "to calculate \"sin%28V-U%29\" and \"cos%28V-U%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "Then you could calculate \"tan%28V-U%29=sin%28V-U%29%2Fcos%28V-U%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "2) Alternatively, you could first calculate \"tan%28V%29=sin%28V%29%2Fcos%28V%29\" and \"tan%28V%29=sin%28V%29%2Fcos%28V%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "and use them along with trig identity
\n" ); document.write( "\"tan%28A-B%29=%28tan%28A%29-tan%28B%29%29%2F%281%2Btan%28A%29tan%28B%29%29\" to calculate \"tan%28V-U%29\" .
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\n" ); document.write( "Option 1) looks more complicated
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\n" ); document.write( "The four possibilities as to the signs (positive or negative) of \"sin%28V%29\" and \"cos%28U%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "leads to either a positive or negative \"sin%28V%29cos%28U%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "It could be if \"sin%28V%29cos%28U%29%3E0\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "or otherwise.
\n" ); document.write( "For each of those sines, we could calculate two cosines as
\n" ); document.write( "\"cos%28X%29=sqrt%281-sin%5E2%28X%29%29\" and \"cos%28X%29=-sqrt%281-sin%5E2%28X%29%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "If that looks ugly, you could calculate \"cos%28V-U%29\" directly from the \"cos%28A-B%29\" trig identity.
\n" ); document.write( " .
\n" ); document.write( "It could be .
\n" ); document.write( "It could be \"cos%28V%5B1%5D-U%5B4%5D%29=%2836-5sqrt%287%29%29%2F52\" .
\n" ); document.write( "It could be \"cos%28V%5B1%5D-U%5B3%5D%29=-%2836%2B5sqrt%287%29%29%2F52=-%28cos%28V%5B4%5D-U%5B4%5D%29%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "It could be \"cos%28V%5B4%5D-U%5B3%5D%29=-%2836-5sqrt%287%29%29%2F52=-%28cos%28V%5B1%5D-U%5B4%5D%29%29\" .
\n" ); document.write( "So, the four results are:
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\n" ); document.write( "Option 2):
\n" ); document.write( "All the way at the top, we had
\n" ); document.write( "\"cos%28U%5B4%5D%29=12%2F13\" or \"cos%28U%5B3%5D%29=-12%2F13\" paired with \"sin%28U%29=-5%2F13\"
\n" ); document.write( "for the two possible \"U\" angles.
\n" ); document.write( "That makes \"tan%28U%5B4%5D%29=-5%2F12\" or \"tan%28U%5B3%5D%29=%28-5%29%2F%28-12%29=5%2F12\" .
\n" ); document.write( "All the way at the top, we had
\n" ); document.write( "\"sin%28V%5B1%5D%29=sqrt%287%29%2F4\" or \"sin%28V%5B4%5D%29=-sqrt%287%29%2F4\" paired with \"cos%28V%29=3%2F4\" for the two possible \"V\" angles.
\n" ); document.write( "That makes \"tan%28V%5B1%5D%29=sqrt%287%29%2F3\" or \"tan%28V%5B4%5D%29=-sqrt%287%29%2F3\" .
\n" ); document.write( "Plugging those values into the trig identity
\n" ); document.write( "\"tan%28A-B%29=%28tan%28A%29-tan%28B%29%29%2F%281%2Btan%28A%29tan%28B%29%29\" ,
\n" ); document.write( "we get
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\n" ); document.write( "\"tan%28V%5B4%5D-U%5B4%5D%29=highlight%28-%28507sqrt%287%29-960%29%2F1121%29\"
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\n" ); document.write( "... \"tan%28V%5B1%5D-U%5B4%5D%29=highlight%28%28507sqrt%287%29%2B960%29%2F1121%29\"
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\n" ); document.write( "and since \"tan%28V%5B4%5D%29\" and \"tan%28U%5B3%5D%29\" both are the opposites
\n" ); document.write( "of \"tan%28V%5B1%5D%29\" and \"tan%28U%5B4%5D%29\" respectively,
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