# Prove the trigonometric identity $\sin^4{x} = \frac{3-4\cos{2x}+\cos{4x}}{8}$

I need to show the steps to prove this identity: $$\sin^4{x} = \frac{3-4\cos{2x}+\cos{4x}}{8}$$

I know that $\cos{2x}=\cos^2{x}-\sin^2{x}$. From there I do not know what to do. The solution should look like:

$$\sin^4{x}=sin^4{x}$$

I need to prove the right side equals the left side.

• You could use deMoivre's theorem. – user122283 Mar 2 '14 at 19:18
• I don't think the OP knows about techniques in complex analysis. – Mr.Fry Mar 2 '14 at 19:20
• And $\cos 4x= \cos^2 2x - \sin^2 2x$ and you will get there if you are persistent. – Mark Bennet Mar 2 '14 at 19:37
• mathworld.wolfram.com/Double-AngleFormulas.html – lab bhattacharjee Mar 3 '14 at 4:46

If you know $\sin x = \frac{e^{ix}-e^{-ix}}{2i}$ and $\cos x = \frac{e^{ix}+e^{-ix}}{2}$, then just expand using the binomial theorem: $$\sin^4 x = \frac{e^{4ix} - 4e^{3ix}e^{-ix}+6e^{2ix}e^{-2ix}-4e^{ix}e^{-3ix}+e^{-4ix}}{(2i)^4}$$ $$=\frac{e^{4ix}+e^{-4ix} -4e^{2ix}-4e^{-2ix} + 6}{16}$$ $$=\frac{\frac{e^{4ix}+e^{-4ix}}{2} -4\frac{e^{2ix}+e^{-2ix}}{2} + 3}{8}$$ $$=\boxed{\frac{\cos 4x -4\cos 2x + 3}{8}}$$ as desired.

• Don't care if I'm not allowed to say thanks. This saved my butt in my numerical solutions to PDE's class. – rocksNwaves Feb 12 '18 at 2:25
• (blush) Message understood. Complex analysis gives such cool shortcuts. Glad it helped.Pass it on, @rocksNwaves! – MPW Feb 12 '18 at 3:36

Hint: $$\cos{2x}=\cos^2{x}-\sin^2{x}=1-2\sin^2{x}\\ \implies \sin^2{x}=\frac{1-\cos{2x}}{2}$$

Hint: $(\cos^2 x-\cos2x)(\cos^2 x-\cos 2x)=(\sin^2 x)^2$

You could also use the fact that $\text{Re} ((\cos x + i \sin x)^4) = \text{Re} (\cos 4x + i \sin 4x)$.

Let $$z = \cos(\theta) +i \sin(\theta)$$

We can then find through De Moive's formula and the fact that $$\cos -\theta = \cos \theta$$ and $$\sin -\theta = - \sin \theta$$:

$$z - \frac1z \equiv 2i\sin\theta$$

Thus: ($$i^4=1$$)

$$(z-\frac1z)^4 \equiv 16\sin^4\theta$$

Expanding the RHS:

$$(z-\frac1z)^4 \equiv z^4 - 4z^2 + 6 - 4z^{-2} + z^{-4}$$

Then subsituting $$z$$ back into the equation. (The $$\sin$$s will cancel out)

$$(z-\frac1z)^4 \equiv 2\cos4\theta - 8\cos2\theta + 6$$

Finally dividing by 16 to get $$\sin^4\theta$$:

$$\sin^4\theta = \frac {\cos4\theta - 4\cos2\theta + 3} 8$$