Simplify cot(arccos(u))
Problem
Solution
Identify the inner function and set it equal to an angle
θ such thatθ=arccos(u) Rewrite the relationship using the definition of the inverse cosine function, which gives
cos(θ)=u for0≤θ≤π Represent the angle
θ in a right triangle where the adjacent side isu and the hypotenuse is1 sincecos(θ)=adjacent/hypotenuse=u/1 Determine the length of the opposite side using the Pythagorean theorem:
a^2+b^2=c^2 Solve for the opposite side:
opposite=√(,1^2−u^2)=√(,1−u^2) Apply the definition of the cotangent function, which is
cot(θ)=adjacent/opposite Substitute the side lengths into the cotangent ratio to get
u/√(,1−u^2)
Final Answer
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