Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Verifying a Trig Identity

Torres

Why did this student think that this verified the identity?

(Thanks Michelle!)

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Trig Identities Unteach Functions

Photo

 

Hypothesis: Proving trig identities unteaches functions.

After all, thinking of these as functions really just gets in the way, so all of our sensible students just treat these functions like variables.

(Thanks, Tina!)

Categories
Feedback Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Trig Identities are just really hard to prove

photo (5)

 

What’s going on here? Tell a story of how this kid wrote this stuff?

Thanks to Jonathan Newman for the submission!

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

You ready for some more trig identities?

precalc 24

 

Thanks to Tina Cardone for her pile of trig submissions.

How would you help this student?

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

QED?

jnewman2

 

What’s the fastest way to help this student?

Do you have a good way to help students understand the rigor needed in these sort of proofs?

Thanks to Jonathan Newman for the submission.

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

A Sneaky Simplifying Mistake

jnewman1

 

This is a fun mistake, via Jonathan Newman. Find it, and then explain how you’d help the kid who made it.

Categories
Feedback Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

“1 + 1 = 1 ????”

photo (6)

 

What’s the fastest way of helping this student?

Thanks to Jonathan Newman for the submission. You should click on his name to go to his blog.

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Same Question, Different Mistake

photo (36)

Compare to this post.

Are there any other mistakes that you would expect students to make on this problem?

Thanks to Kristen Fouss for the submission.

 

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Canceling and Trig Identities

photo (37)

How do you teach this topic so that students don’t make this mistake? (Or do you just rail on their earlier teachers?)

Thanks to Kristen Fouss for the submission.

Categories
Trig Identities Trigonometric Functions

Trig Identities

photo (35)

In the comments: can you reconstruct each step of the student’s argument? What was he thinking?

Thanks to Kristen Fouss for the submission.

[We have a growing library of trig identities, and I’ve got like 10 more trig identities to post over the next few weeks. Seems to be a tough spot for students.]