Find minimum value of $\frac{\sec^4 \alpha}{\tan^2 \beta}+\frac{\sec^4 \beta}{\tan^2 \alpha}$

trigonometry

Find minimum value of $\frac{\sec^4 \alpha}{\tan^2 \beta}+\frac{\sec^4 \beta}{\tan^2 \alpha}$

I know this question has already answered here Then minimum value of $\frac{\sec^4 \alpha}{\tan^2 \beta}+\frac{\sec^4 \beta}{\tan^2 \alpha}$ but my answer is coming different.

i applied AM-GM directly to two fractions and by changing terms of sec and tan into sin and cos and simplifying a little we get that
$$\frac{\sec^4 \alpha}{\tan^2 \beta}+\frac{\sec^4 \beta}{\tan^2 \alpha} \geq\frac2{\cos\alpha \cos\beta \sin\alpha \sin\beta}\geq2$$

but minimum value is coming 8 ???

Best Answer

$$\frac{2}{\cos\alpha\cos\beta\sin\alpha\sin\beta} = \frac{8}{\sin2\alpha\sin2\beta} \geq 8$$

Now why did the previous inequality only give 2 whereas when we use this we get 8? Basically, $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are independent of each other, hence we can minimise the second expression by putting $\alpha = \beta = \frac{\pi}{4}$

On the other hand, in the expression you reduced to, both $\sin\alpha$ and $\cos\alpha$ cannot simultaneously be $1$, hence the product will actually have a different maximum value (which is $\frac{1}{2}$)