Algebra Examples

$3 \tan^{3} (x) = \tan (x)$

Step 1

Subtract $\tan (x)$ from both sides of the equation.

$3 \tan^{3} (x) - \tan (x) = 0$

Step 2

Factor $\tan (x)$ out of $3 \tan^{3} (x) - \tan (x)$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 2.1

Factor $\tan (x)$ out of $3 \tan^{3} (x)$ .

$\tan (x) (3 \tan^{2} (x)) - \tan (x) = 0$

Step 2.2

Factor $\tan (x)$ out of $- \tan (x)$ .

$\tan (x) (3 \tan^{2} (x)) + \tan (x) \cdot - 1 = 0$

Step 2.3

Factor $\tan (x)$ out of $\tan (x) (3 \tan^{2} (x)) + \tan (x) \cdot - 1$ .

$\tan (x) (3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1) = 0$

Step 3

If any individual factor on the left side of the equation is equal to $0$ , the entire expression will be equal to $0$ .

$\tan (x) = 0$

$3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1 = 0$

Step 4

Set $\tan (x)$ equal to $0$ and solve for $x$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 4.1

Set $\tan (x)$ equal to $0$ .

$\tan (x) = 0$

Step 4.2

Solve $\tan (x) = 0$ for $x$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 4.2.1

Take the inverse tangent of both sides of the equation to extract $x$ from inside the tangent.

$x = \arctan (0)$

Step 4.2.2

Simplify the right side.

Tap for more steps...

Step 4.2.2.1

The exact value of $\arctan (0)$ is $0$ .

$x = 0$

Step 4.2.3

The tangent function is positive in the first and third quadrants. To find the second solution, add the reference angle from $π$ to find the solution in the fourth quadrant.

$x = π + 0$

Step 4.2.4

Add $π$ and $0$ .

$x = π$

Step 4.2.5

Find the period of $\tan (x)$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 4.2.5.1

The period of the function can be calculated using $\frac{π}{| b |}$ .

$\frac{π}{| b |}$

Step 4.2.5.2

Replace $b$ with $1$ in the formula for period.

$\frac{π}{| 1 |}$

Step 4.2.5.3

The absolute value is the distance between a number and zero. The distance between $0$ and $1$ is $1$ .

$\frac{π}{1}$

Step 4.2.5.4

Divide $π$ by $1$ .

$π$

Step 4.2.6

The period of the $\tan (x)$ function is $π$ so values will repeat every $π$ radians in both directions.

$x = π n, π + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 5

Set $3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1$ equal to $0$ and solve for $x$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.1

Set $3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1$ equal to $0$ .

$3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1 = 0$

Step 5.2

Solve $3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1 = 0$ for $x$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.1

Add $1$ to both sides of the equation.

$3 \tan^{2} (x) = 1$

Step 5.2.2

Divide each term in $3 \tan^{2} (x) = 1$ by $3$ and simplify.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.2.1

Divide each term in $3 \tan^{2} (x) = 1$ by $3$ .

$\frac{3 \tan^{2} (x)}{3} = \frac{1}{3}$

Step 5.2.2.2

Simplify the left side.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.2.2.1

Cancel the common factor of $3$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.2.2.1.1

Cancel the common factor.

$\frac{3 \tan^{2} (x)}{3} = \frac{1}{3}$

Step 5.2.2.2.1.2

Divide $\tan^{2} (x)$ by $1$ .

$\tan^{2} (x) = \frac{1}{3}$

Step 5.2.3

Take the specified root of both sides of the equation to eliminate the exponent on the left side.

$\tan (x) = \pm \sqrt{\frac{1}{3}}$

Step 5.2.4

Simplify $\pm \sqrt{\frac{1}{3}}$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.4.1

Rewrite $\sqrt{\frac{1}{3}}$ as $\frac{\sqrt{1}}{\sqrt{3}}$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{1}}{\sqrt{3}}$

Step 5.2.4.2

Any root of $1$ is $1$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$

Step 5.2.4.3

Multiply $\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$ by $\frac{\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{3}}$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \cdot \frac{\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{3}}$

Step 5.2.4.4

Combine and simplify the denominator.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.4.4.1

Multiply $\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}$ by $\frac{\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{3}}$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{3} \sqrt{3}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.2

Raise $\sqrt{3}$ to the power of $1$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{{\sqrt{3}}^{1} \sqrt{3}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.3

Raise $\sqrt{3}$ to the power of $1$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{{\sqrt{3}}^{1} {\sqrt{3}}^{1}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.4

Use the power rule $a^{m} a^{n} = a^{m + n}$ to combine exponents.

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{{\sqrt{3}}^{1 + 1}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.5

Add $1$ and $1$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{{\sqrt{3}}^{2}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6

Rewrite ${\sqrt{3}}^{2}$ as $3$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.4.4.6.1

Use $\sqrt[n]{a^{x}} = a^{\frac{x}{n}}$ to rewrite $\sqrt{3}$ as $3^{\frac{1}{2}}$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{{(3^{\frac{1}{2}})}^{2}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6.2

Apply the power rule and multiply exponents, ${(a^{m})}^{n} = a^{m n}$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3^{\frac{1}{2} \cdot 2}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6.3

Combine $\frac{1}{2}$ and $2$ .

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3^{\frac{2}{2}}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6.4

Cancel the common factor of $2$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.4.4.6.4.1

Cancel the common factor.

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3^{\frac{2}{2}}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6.4.2

Rewrite the expression.

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3^{1}}$

Step 5.2.4.4.6.5

Evaluate the exponent.

$\tan (x) = \pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

Step 5.2.5

The complete solution is the result of both the positive and negative portions of the solution.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.5.1

First, use the positive value of the $\pm$ to find the first solution.

$\tan (x) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

Step 5.2.5.2

Next, use the negative value of the $\pm$ to find the second solution.

$\tan (x) = - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

Step 5.2.5.3

The complete solution is the result of both the positive and negative portions of the solution.

$\tan (x) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}, - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

Step 5.2.6

Set up each of the solutions to solve for $x$ .

$\tan (x) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

$\tan (x) = - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

Step 5.2.7

Solve for $x$ in $\tan (x) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.1

Take the inverse tangent of both sides of the equation to extract $x$ from inside the tangent.

$x = \arctan (\frac{\sqrt{3}}{3})$

Step 5.2.7.2

Simplify the right side.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.2.1

The exact value of $\arctan (\frac{\sqrt{3}}{3})$ is $\frac{π}{6}$ .

$x = \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.3

The tangent function is positive in the first and third quadrants. To find the second solution, add the reference angle from $π$ to find the solution in the fourth quadrant.

$x = π + \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.4

Simplify $π + \frac{π}{6}$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.4.1

To write $π$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{6}{6}$ .

$x = π \cdot \frac{6}{6} + \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.4.2

Combine fractions.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.4.2.1

Combine $π$ and $\frac{6}{6}$ .

$x = \frac{π \cdot 6}{6} + \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.4.2.2

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$x = \frac{π \cdot 6 + π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.4.3

Simplify the numerator.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.4.3.1

Move $6$ to the left of $π$ .

$x = \frac{6 \cdot π + π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.4.3.2

Add $6 π$ and $π$ .

$x = \frac{7 π}{6}$

Step 5.2.7.5

Find the period of $\tan (x)$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.7.5.1

The period of the function can be calculated using $\frac{π}{| b |}$ .

$\frac{π}{| b |}$

Step 5.2.7.5.2

Replace $b$ with $1$ in the formula for period.

$\frac{π}{| 1 |}$

Step 5.2.7.5.3

The absolute value is the distance between a number and zero. The distance between $0$ and $1$ is $1$ .

$\frac{π}{1}$

Step 5.2.7.5.4

Divide $π$ by $1$ .

$π$

Step 5.2.7.6

The period of the $\tan (x)$ function is $π$ so values will repeat every $π$ radians in both directions.

$x = \frac{π}{6} + π n, \frac{7 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 5.2.8

Solve for $x$ in $\tan (x) = - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.1

Take the inverse tangent of both sides of the equation to extract $x$ from inside the tangent.

$x = \arctan (- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3})$

Step 5.2.8.2

Simplify the right side.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.2.1

The exact value of $\arctan (- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3})$ is $- \frac{π}{6}$ .

$x = - \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.3

The tangent function is negative in the second and fourth quadrants. To find the second solution, subtract the reference angle from $π$ to find the solution in the third quadrant.

$x = - \frac{π}{6} - π$

Step 5.2.8.4

Simplify the expression to find the second solution.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.4.1

Add $2 π$ to $- \frac{π}{6} - π$ .

$x = - \frac{π}{6} - π + 2 π$

Step 5.2.8.4.2

The resulting angle of $\frac{5 π}{6}$ is positive and coterminal with $- \frac{π}{6} - π$ .

$x = \frac{5 π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.5

Find the period of $\tan (x)$ .

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.5.1

The period of the function can be calculated using $\frac{π}{| b |}$ .

$\frac{π}{| b |}$

Step 5.2.8.5.2

Replace $b$ with $1$ in the formula for period.

$\frac{π}{| 1 |}$

Step 5.2.8.5.3

The absolute value is the distance between a number and zero. The distance between $0$ and $1$ is $1$ .

$\frac{π}{1}$

Step 5.2.8.5.4

Divide $π$ by $1$ .

$π$

Step 5.2.8.6

Add $π$ to every negative angle to get positive angles.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.6.1

Add $π$ to $- \frac{π}{6}$ to find the positive angle.

$- \frac{π}{6} + π$

Step 5.2.8.6.2

To write $π$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{6}{6}$ .

$π \cdot \frac{6}{6} - \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.6.3

Combine fractions.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.6.3.1

Combine $π$ and $\frac{6}{6}$ .

$\frac{π \cdot 6}{6} - \frac{π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.6.3.2

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$\frac{π \cdot 6 - π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.6.4

Simplify the numerator.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.8.6.4.1

Move $6$ to the left of $π$ .

$\frac{6 \cdot π - π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.6.4.2

Subtract $π$ from $6 π$ .

$\frac{5 π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.6.5

List the new angles.

$x = \frac{5 π}{6}$

Step 5.2.8.7

The period of the $\tan (x)$ function is $π$ so values will repeat every $π$ radians in both directions.

$x = \frac{5 π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 5.2.9

List all of the solutions.

$x = \frac{π}{6} + π n, \frac{7 π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 5.2.10

Consolidate the solutions.

Tap for more steps...

Step 5.2.10.1

Consolidate $\frac{π}{6} + π n$ and $\frac{7 π}{6} + π n$ to $\frac{π}{6} + π n$ .

$x = \frac{π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 5.2.10.2

Consolidate $\frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ and $\frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ to $\frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ .

$x = \frac{π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$

Step 6

The final solution is all the values that make $\tan (x) (3 \tan^{2} (x) - 1) = 0$ true.

$x = π n, π + π n, \frac{π}{6} + π n, \frac{5 π}{6} + π n$ , for any integer $n$