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For any two complex waves f(x)=r1sin(ax+α1) and g(x)=r2sin(ax+α2) with the same frequency but different phase, we can use Euler's form of complex numbers to express h(x) as a single sine function:
So we can write
where
Note: In most questions about adding complex waves, you can use your graphing calculator to find the phase shift instead of deriving it by hand.