# Need some help with a trigonometry problem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-a-trigonometry-problem/965526>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 1, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-a-trigonometry-problem/965526 "2022-06-01T21:41:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 34

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-a-trigonometry-problem/965526/34 "2023-06-25T02:46:40Z")

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I’m back!

Still making progress; I’m on chapter 7 now. As I think I said, I found someone who has worked through the problems and posted the answers online. However, he does take a few shortcuts. On the problem I’m currently working on, he jumps from

\frac{1}{2} ωL^{2}\frac{(L-2a)^2}{4(L-a)^2}=\frac{1}{2}ωa^2

to

(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{a}{L})^2-(\frac{a}{L})^2(1-\frac{a}{L})^2=0

Can anyone help me break that down into more manageable steps?

I found a useful equation editor [here](https://editor.codecogs.com/). (Unfortunately, when I cut and paste from that I run into the “no posting media items” problem.

While searching for this thread to revive it, I found a similar thread started by @Cubsfan about 20 years ago. Using the same book I am; same edition, even.

> [@Statics and Dynamics Reference Recommendations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statics-and-dynamics-reference-recommendations/118211):
>
> I am being forced to take Statics and Dynamics as an indepentant study course at my school. Not enough people need it right now for the school to offer it. Unfortunatley I am the king of taking classes out of cycle and now need this class to ensure my timely graduation as a EE. The text book I am using is “Vector Mechanics for Engineers 5th ed by Beer and Johnston Jr.” and it is not TOO bad of a read. I am trying to find something like a Schaums book, or something similar that will focus on app…

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