How does one solve $\sin x-\sqrt{3}\ \cos x=1$? I thought this one up, but I am not sure how to solve it. Here is my attempt:
$$\sin x-\sqrt{3}\ \cos x=1$$
$$(\sin x-\sqrt{3}\ \cos x)^2=1$$
$$\sin^2x-2\sqrt{3}\sin x\cos x\ +3\cos^2x=1$$
$$1-2\sqrt{3}\sin x\cos x\ +2\cos^2x=1$$
$$2\cos^2x-2\sqrt{3}\sin x\cos x=0$$
$$2\cos x(\cos x-\sqrt{3}\sin x)=0$$
$2\cos x=0\Rightarrow x\in \{\frac{\pi }2(2n-1):n\in\Bbb Z\}$
But how do I solve $$\cos x-\sqrt{3}\sin x=0$$

Multiply by the conjugate: $(\cos(x) - \sqrt{3} \sin(x))(\cos(x) + \sqrt{3} \sin(x)) = 0$. Then we have $\cos^2(x)-3\sin^2(x)=0$. This is the same thing as $1-4\sin^2(x)=0$ or $\sin(x)=\pm \frac{1}{2}$.


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*NOTE OF CAUTION: This gives you the answers to both the question and its conjugate. You'd have to plug in and check which ones are the answers you're looking for.

