1. ## expression

can someone explain to me the steps from going to tan30=600sina/600cosa+600 to 3 sina= cosa +1

2. ## Re: expression

Originally Posted by markosheehan
can someone explain to me the steps from going to tan30=600sina/600cosa+600 to 3 sina= cosa +1
Do you mean this?
$tan(30) = \frac{600 ~ sin(a)}{600 ~ cos(a) + 600}$

$tan(30) = \frac{600 \cdot sin(a)}{600 (cos(a) + 1)}$

$tan(30) = \frac{600}{600} \cdot \frac{sin(a)}{cos(a) + 1}$

Can you finish it?

-Dan

3. ## Re: expression

yes what you typed is what im looking for.sorry i dont know what to do from here. i know that sina/cosa =tana but i dont even know if that is any good to me

4. ## Re: expression

Originally Posted by markosheehan
can someone explain to me the steps from going to tan30=600sina/(600cosa+600) to 3 sina= cosa +1
Note that $\tan(30^\circ)= \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$ ... you should know this because you've learned the trig values for special angles on the unit circle, correct?

Note $\dfrac{600\sin{a}}{600\cos{a}+600} = \dfrac{\sin{a}}{\cos{a}+1}$

So, your equation can be simplified to the form ...

$\dfrac{1}{\sqrt{3}}= \dfrac{\sin{a}}{\cos{a}+1}$

can you finish now?

5. ## Re: expression

yes i see it know thanks. ijust cross multiply and i get the answer.i was putting tan30 into my calculator and it was coming out as a decimal. and yes ive done the unit circle before

6. ## Re: expression

Originally Posted by markosheehan
i was putting tan30 into my calculator
Put away the calculator. Most problems aren't all that messy, And if you do have to approximate it is better to get the decimals at the last step when possible.

-Dan