Jos Simons wrote:
> L.S.,
>
> How can I solve with Maxima the equation
>
> cos(2*x) =1/2 - sin(x)
>
> in such a way that I get the exact solutions
> 3/10 pi, 7/10 pi, 11/10 pi, 19/10 pi, etc.
>
trigexpand(%);
subst(1-sin(x)^2,cos(x)^2,%);
solve(%,x);
gets
[x=-asin(sqrt(5)/4-1/4),x=asin(sqrt(5)/4+1/4)]
you can also take the original equation and do
%,exponentialize;
solve(%,x)
and get answers in terms of logs and radicals.