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Re: Choosing preferred functions for Trig Simplification?

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg83203] Re: Choosing preferred functions for Trig Simplification?
  • From: AES <siegman at stanford.edu>
  • Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:31:15 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: Stanford University
  • References: <fhegov$m8b$1@smc.vnet.net>

> In Simplifying expressions containing multiple Trig functions, I'd like 
> to persuade Mathematica to limit its vocabulary to Sin, Cos and Tan, 
> and avoid Sec, Csc and Cot (while continuing to put expressions into the 
> simplest Together form, and so on).


Just to add a little fillip to this original query of mine, I'll make a 
the following challenge/good faith offer:

If any regular posters to either of these groups can identify any 
published optics or e-m theory text in which Snell's Law is written as

      n1 Csc[ theta2 ]  =  n2 Csc[ theta1 ]

instead of  

      n1 Sin[ theta1 ] = n2 Sin[ theta2 ]

and Brewster's angle is written as

      Cot[ thetaB ] = n1 / n2

instead of  

   Tan[thetaB] = n2/n1 

(or any algebraically equivalent formulations using "cosecant" or 
cotangent"), I'll write a $20 check to any (one!) U.S. tax-deductible 
charitable organization selected by the first such responder . (Time of 
email receipt in my MacBook Eudora IN box determines "first").


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