Find the exact value of cos(-pi/12)

You did ask for the EXACT value, which no one has posted yet. The exact value is √(2 + √3)/2. To three decimal places, that is .966. As for how I got that, I started with a 30-60-90 triangle and extended the longer side by the length of the hypotenuse to get a 15-75-90 triangle, then used Pythagoragus. For some reason, though, most students have an easier time using a half-angle formula, so feel free to do it that way. * * * * OK, sorry, I see Awesome Sauce also gives an exact value. It is also correct, just looks a little different. * * * * From your comment in Additional Details, it appears you want to use the angle difference relation: cos(π/12) = cos(π/4 - π/6). That works also, but you need to get the formula right, which is: cos(a - b) = cos a * cos b + sin a * sin b For cos (45 - 30), this gives cos 45 * cos 30 + sin 45 * sin 30 = √2/2 * √3/2 + √2/2 * 1/2 = √2/4(√3 + 1). This is yet another expression for the same exact value.