Squaring and Converting to Quadratic Type

There maybe times when you run into an equation that needs to be squared on both sides to solve it. Here is how you go through that process, step by step:

Here's an example of a trigonometric equation:

To solve this equation, square both sides, which then changes it to this equation:

Now use one of the pythagorean identities to make all the variables cosines

Now the equation looks like this:

Combine like terms

Now factor

After setting each factor equal to zero and solving them, the answers are:

and

However, before we can say this is complete, since we squared the original equation we must check for extraneous solutions. After plugging all 3 possible answers into the original equation, we find that one does not work when plugged into the original equation.

Which leaves: