Lời giải:

a) Ta có: a – b = \(\frac{\pi }{3} - \frac{\pi }{6} = \frac{\pi }{6}\) nên cos(a – b) = \(\cos \frac{\pi }{6} = \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{2}\).

cos a cos b + sin a sin b

= \(\cos \frac{\pi }{3}\cos \frac{\pi }{6} + \sin \frac{\pi }{3}\sin \frac{\pi }{6} = \frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{2} + \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{2} \cdot \frac{1}{2}\)

\( = \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{4} + \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{4} = \frac{{\sqrt 3 }}{2}\).

Vậy với \(a = \frac{\pi }{3}\) và \(b = \frac{\pi }{6}\), ta thấy cos(a – b) = cos a cos b + sin a sin b.

b) Ta có: cos(a + b) = cos[a – (– b)] = cos a cos(– b) + sin a sin(– b)

Mà cos(– b) = cos b, sin(– b) = – sin b (hai góc đối nhau).

Do đó, cos(a + b) = cos a cos b + sin a . (– sin b) = cos a cos b – sin a sin b.

c) Ta có: sin(a – b) = \(\cos \left[ {\frac{\pi }{2} - \left( {a - b} \right)} \right] = \cos \left[ {\left( {\frac{\pi }{2} - a} \right) + b} \right]\)

\( = \cos \left( {\frac{\pi }{2} - a} \right)\cos b - \sin \left( {\frac{\pi }{2} - a} \right)\sin b\)

\( = \sin a\cos b - \cos a\sin b\)             (do \(\cos \left( {\frac{\pi }{2} - a} \right) = \sin a\), \(\sin \left( {\frac{\pi }{2} - a} \right) = \cos a\)).

Vậy sin(a – b) = sin a cos b – cos a sin b.