trigonometric formulas from series
One may define the sine and the cosine functions for real (and complex) arguments using the power series
(1) |
(2) |
and using only the properties of power series, easily derive most of the goniometric formulas, without any geometry. For example, one gets instantly from (1) and (2) the values
and the parity relations (http://planetmath.org/EvenoddFunction)
Using the Cauchy multiplication rule for series one can obtain the addition formulas
(3) |
These produce straightforward many other important formulae, e.g.
(4) |
and
(5) |
The value , as well as the formulae expressing the periodicity of sine and cosine, cannot be directly obtained from the series (1) and (2) — in fact, one must define the number by using the function properties of the and its derivative
series (http://planetmath.org/PowerSeries).
The equation
has on the interval exactly one root (http://planetmath.org/Equation). Actually, as sum of a power series, is continuous, and (see Leibniz’ estimate for alternating series
(http://planetmath.org/LeibnizEstimateForAlternatingSeries)), whence there is at least one root. If there were more than one root, then the derivative
would have at least one zero on the interval; this is impossible, since by Leibniz the series in the parentheses does not change its sign on the interval:
Accordingly, we can define the number pi to be the least positive solution of the equation , multiplied by 2.
Thus we have and . Furthermore, by (5),
and by (4),
Consequently, the addition formulas (3) yield the periodicities (http://planetmath.org/PeriodicFunctions)