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24 votes
24 votes
Please help me answer my question. I really need help with understanding this.

If
sinx=(3a)/(2) and 0 is less than x is less than
(\pi )/(2), express
(x)/(4)-sin2x as a function of a.

User Venkat Reddy
by
2.8k points

1 Answer

18 votes
18 votes

If sin(x) = 3a/2 and 0 ≤ xπ/2, then x = arcsin(3a/2). The condition on x here is useful because it makes the sin and arcsin functions exacts inverses of one another: if y = sin(x), then arcsin(y) = x.

Recall the double angle identity for sine:

sin(2x) = 2 sin(x) cos(x)

Also because 0 ≤ xπ/2, we know both sin(x) > 0 and cos(x) > 0. So from the Pythagorean identity, it follows that

sin²(x) + cos²(x) = 1

==> cos(x) = √(1 - sin²(x)) = √(1 - 9a ²/4) = 1/2 √(4 - 9a ²)

Then we have

x/4 - sin(2x) = x/4 - 2 sin(x) cos(x)

… = 1/4 arcsin(3a/2) - 2 (3a/2) (1/2 √(4 - 9a ²))

… = 1/4 arcsin(3a/2) - 3a/2 √(4 - 9a ²)

User Matteo Melani
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2.9k points