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How can we sum up $\sin$ and $\cos$ series when the angles are in arithmetic progression?

Prove $\cos(\alpha) + \cos(\alpha + \beta) + \cos(\alpha + 2\beta) + \dots + \cos[\alpha + (n-1)\beta] = \frac{\cos(\alpha + \frac{n-1}{2}\beta) \cdot \sin\frac{n\beta}{2}}{\sin\frac{\beta}{2}} $

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    You first! (Please don't write your question in the imperative. If it's *your* assignment to prove the identity, please let us know what you've already tried.)2012-03-06

1 Answers 1

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There is a solution. But I assume and hope that you have already tried to solve the problem by yourself. (I am french, so it could explain my strange written english. If you have any gramatical advice don't hesitate. :))

$\cos(\alpha)+\cos(\alpha+\beta)+...+\cos(\alpha+(n-1)\beta)={\displaystyle \dfrac{1}{2}\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}e^{i(\alpha+k\beta)}+e^{-i(\alpha+k\beta)}=\dfrac{1}{2}}\left(e^{i\alpha}\dfrac{e^{in\beta}-1}{e^{i\beta}-1}+e^{-i\alpha}\dfrac{e^{-in\beta}-1}{e^{-i\beta}-1}\right)=\dfrac{1}{2}\left(e^{i(\alpha+\dfrac{n-1}{2}\beta)}\dfrac{e^{i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}-e^{-i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}}{e^{i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}-e^{-i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}}+e^{-i(\alpha+\dfrac{n-1}{2}\beta)}\dfrac{e^{-i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}-e^{i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}}{e^{-i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}-e^{i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}}\right)=$

$\dfrac{e^{i(\alpha+\dfrac{n-1}{2}\beta)}+e^{-i(\alpha+\dfrac{n-1}{2}\beta)}}{2}\left(\dfrac{e^{i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}-e^{-i\dfrac{n}{2}\beta}}{e^{i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}-e^{-i\dfrac{1}{2}\beta}}\right)=\dfrac{\cos\left(\alpha+\dfrac{n-1}{2}\beta\right)\sin\left(\dfrac{n\beta}{2}\right)}{\sin\left(\dfrac{\beta}{2}\right)}$

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    @Abcd Indeed. Edited, thanks! :)2017-07-27