How do you solve sin(arcsin(3/5) + arccos(3/5))?

1 Answer
May 15, 2015

Picture a right angled triangle with sides 3, 4 and 5 (since 3^2 + 4^2 = 5^2). Call the smallest angle alpha and the next smallest beta.

sin alpha = 3/5, being the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the hypotenuse.

cos beta = 3/5, being the length of the adjacent side divided by the length of the hypotenuse.

So arcsin(3/5)+arccos(3/5) = alpha + beta = pi/2 (or 90^o) since together with the right angle, the internal angles of the triangle must add up to pi (180^o).

sin (pi/2) = 1.

So sin(arcsin(3/5)+arccos(3/5)) = 1.