How do you prove the following trig identity: tan(x + 45°) - tan(45° - x) ≡ 2tan2x?

1 Answer
Apr 15, 2015

Use tan(a+b) = (tana+tanb)/(1-tanatanb)

and tan(a-b) = (tana-tanb)/(1+tanatanb)

and tan (2a) = tan(a+a) = (2tana)/(1-tan^2a)

And also use: tan (pi/4) =1.

Other than that it's just algebra.

Once you get to

(tanx + 1)/(1-tanx)-(1-tanx)/(1+tanx)

you'll want a common denominator, so you get

((tanx+1)^2-(1-tanx)^2)/(1-tan^2x)

Now do the algebra to get:

(4tanx)/(1-tan^2x) = 2( (2tanx)/(1-tan^2x)) = 2 tan2x