<s>[INST] solve $\tan{x} = \tan{3x}$ I'm asked to solve $\tan{x} = \tan{3x}$
Here's my attempt: 
$$\tan{x} = \tan{3x}$$
$$\tan{x} = \tan{(x + 2x)}$$
$$\tan{x} = \frac{\tan{x} + \tan{2x}}{1-\tan{x}\tan{2x}}$$
Recall the identity:
$$\tan{2x} = \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}}$$
So then we have:
$$\tan{x} = \frac{\tan{x} + \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}}}{1-\tan{x}\frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}}}$$
$$\tan{x} - \tan^2{(x)} \cdot \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}} = \tan{x} + \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}}$$
$$-\tan^2{(x)} \cdot \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}} = \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}}$$
$$-\tan^2{x} \cdot \frac{2\tan{x}}{1-\tan^2{x}} \cdot \frac{1-\tan^2{x}}{2\tan{x}} = 1$$
$$\tan^2{x} = -1$$
This does obviously not compute. Why is my way wrong and how can I go about solving it?
 [/INST] Why do you try to make things more complex than they are? Formally,
\begin{align*}\tan x=\tan 3x&\iff 3x\equiv x\mod \pi \\
&\iff 2x\equiv0\mod \pi 
\iff x\equiv 0\mod\frac\pi2.
\end{align*}
However, $\tan x$ is defined if and only if $x\not\equiv\dfrac\pi2\mod\pi$, so the effective solutions are
$$x\equiv 0\mod \pi.$$
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