Re: trig problem that\'s giving me major problems
Use the identities
tan(w+a) = (tan w + tan a) / (1 - tan w tan a), and
tan(w-a) = (tan w - tan a) / (1 + tan w tan a).
Flip these for cot(w+a), obviously. Then solve for a quadratic equation in tan w by multiplying by the denominators all the way through. Use the quadratic equation solution to get tan w, and then take the arctan to get w.
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