Mathematics Learning Centre

Introduction to Trigonometric Functions Peggy Adamson and Jackie Nicholas

c 1998

University of Sydney

Acknowledgements A signicant part of this manuscript has previously appeared in a version of this booklet published in 1986 by Peggy Adamson. In rewriting this booklet, I have relied a great deal on Peggys ideas and approach for Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Chapter 6 appears in a similar form in the booklet, Introduction to Dierential Calculus, which was written by Christopher Thomas. In her original booklet, Peggy acknowledged the contributions made by Mary Barnes and Sue Gordon. I would like to extend this list and thank Collin Phillips for his hours of discussion and suggestions.

Jackie Nicholas September 1998

Contents
1 Introduction 1.1 1.2 How to use this booklet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9

2 Angles and Angular Measure 2.1 2.2 Converting from radians to degrees and degrees to radians . . . . . . . . . Real numbers as radians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 Trigonometric Ratios in a Right Angled Triangle 3.1 Denition of sine, cosine and tangent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.1 3.2 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Some special trigonometric ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 The Trigonometric Functions 4.1 The cosine function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1.1 4.2 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sine function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2.1

Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4.3

The tangent function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4.3.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4.4

Extending the domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.4.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 14

5 Graphs of Trigonometric Functions 5.1

Changing the amplitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.1.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5.2

Changing the period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5.2.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

5.3

Changing the mean level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5.3.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5.4

Changing the phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5.4.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 i

6 Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions 6.1

21

The calculus of trigonometric functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 6.1.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 23

7 A Brief Look at Inverse Trigonometric Functions 7.1

Denition of the inverse cosine function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 7.1.1 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 26

8 Solutions to Exercises

ii

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Introduction

You have probably met the trigonometric ratios cosine, sine, and tangent in a right angled triangle, and have used them to calculate the sides and angles of those triangles. In this booklet we review the denition of these trigonometric ratios and extend the concept of cosine, sine and tangent. We dene the cosine, sine and tangent as functions of all real numbers. These trigonometric functions are extremely important in science, engineering and mathematics, and some familiarity with them will be assumed in most rst year university mathematics courses. In Chapter 2 we represent an angle as radian measure and convert degrees to radians and radians to degrees. In Chapter 3 we review the denition of the trigonometric ratios in a right angled triangle. In Chapter 4, we extend these ideas and dene cosine, sine and tangent as functions of real numbers. In Chapter 5, we discuss the properties of their graphs. Chapter 6 looks at derivatives of these functions and assumes that you have studied calculus before. If you havent done so, then skip Chapter 6 for now. You may nd the Mathematics Learning Centre booklet: Introduction to Dierential Calculus useful if you need to study calculus. Chapter 7 gives a brief look at inverse trigonometric functions.

1.1

How to use this booklet

You will not gain much by just reading this booklet. Mathematics is not a spectator sport! Rather, have pen and paper ready and try to work through the examples before reading their solutions. Do all the exercises. It is important that you try hard to complete the exercises, rather than refer to the solutions as soon as you are stuck.

1.2

Objectives

By the time you have completed this booklet you should: know what a radian is and know how to convert degrees to radians and radians to degrees; know how cos, sin and tan can be dened as ratios of the sides of a right angled triangle; know how to nd the cos, sin and tan of , 6
4

and ; 2

know how cos, sin and tan functions are dened for all real numbers; be able to sketch the graph of certain trigonometric functions; know how to dierentiate the cos, sin and tan functions; understand the denition of the inverse function f 1 (x) = cos1 (x).

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Angles and Angular Measure

An angle can be thought of as the amount of rotation required to take one straight line to another line with a common point. Angles are often labelled with Greek letters, for example . Sometimes an arrow is used to indicate the direction of the rotation. If the arrow points in an anticlockwise direction, the angle is positive. If it points clockwise, the angle is negative.

A
Angles can be measured in degrees or radians. Measurement in degrees is based on dividing the circumference of the circle into 360 equal parts. You are probably familiar with this method of measurement.
3 60
o

1 80

o
o

90

A complete revolution is 360 .

A straight angle is 180 .

A right angle is 90 .

Fractions of a degree are expressed in minutes ( ) and seconds ( ). There are sixty seconds in one minute, and sixty minutes in one degree. So an angle of 31 17 can be expressed as 31 + 17 = 31.28 . 60 The radian is a natural unit for measuring angles. We use radian measure in calculus because it makes the derivatives of trigonometric functions simple. You should try to get used to thinking in radians rather than degrees.

To measure an angle in radians, construct a unit circle (radius 1) with centre at the vertex of the angle. The radian measure of an angle AOB is dened to be the length of the circular arc AB around the circumference.

B 1 O

This denition can be used to nd the number of radians corresponding to one complete revolution.

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In a complete revolution, A moves anticlockwise around the whole circumference of the unit circle, a distance of 2 . So a complete revolution is measured as 2 radians. That is, 2 radians corresponds to 360 .

1 O

Fractions of a revolution correspond to angles which are fractions of 2 .

1 4

revolution 90 or radians 2

1 3

revolution 120 or 23 radians

revolution 60 1 6 or radians 3

2.1

Converting from radians to degrees and degrees to radians

Since 2 radians is equal to 360 radians = 180 , 1 radian = 180

= 57.3 , y radians = y 180 ,

and similarly 1 = radians, 180

0.017, y = y radians. 180

Your calculator has a key that enters the approximate value of .

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If you are going to do calculus, it is important to get used to thinking in terms of radian measure. In particular, think of: 180 as radians, 90 as 60 as 45 as 30 as radians, 2 radians, 3 radians, 4 radians. 6

You should make sure you are really familiar with these.

2.2

Real numbers as radians

Any real number can be thought of as a radian measure if we express the number as a multiple of 2 .

1 5 = 2 (1 + ) = 2 + corresponds to 2 4 2 revolutions of the unit circle going the arc length of 1 1 4 anticlockwise from A to B. For example,

Similarly, 27 4.297 2 = 4 2 + 0.297 2

corresponds to an arc length of 4.297 revolutions of the unit circle going anticlockwise.

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We can also think of negative numbers in terms of radians. Remember for negative radians we measure arc length clockwise around the unit circle.

For example, 16 2.546 2 = 2 2 + 0.546 2 corresponds to the arc length of approximately 2.546 revolutions of the unit circle going clockwise from A to B.

B O A

We are, in eect, wrapping the positive real number line anticlockwise around the unit circle and the negative real number line clockwise around the unit circle, starting in each case with 0 at A, (1, 0). By doing so we are associating each and every real number with exactly one point on the unit circle. Real numbers that have a dierence of 2 (or a multiple of 2 ) correspond to the same point on the unit circle. Using one of our previous examples, 52 corresponds to as they dier by a multiple of 2 . 2 2.2.1 Exercise

Write the following in both degrees and radians and represent them on a diagram. a. 30 d.
3 4

b. 1 e. 2 h. 1

c. 120 f.
4 3

g. 270

i. 2

Note that we do not indicate the units when we are talking about radians. In the rest of this booklet, we will be using radian measure only. Youll need to make sure that your calculator is in radian mode.

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Trigonometric Ratios in a Right Angled Triangle

If you have met trigonometry before, you probably learned denitions of sin , cos and tan which were expressed as ratios of the sides of a right angled triangle. These denitions are repeated here, just to remind you, but we shall go on, in the next section, to give a much more useful denition.

3.1

Denition of sine, cosine and tangent

In a right angled triangle, the side opposite to the right angle is called the hypotenuse. If we choose one of the other angles and label it , the other sides are often called opposite (the side opposite to ) and adjacent (the side next to ).

Hypotenuse

Opposite

Adjacent

For a given , there is a whole family of right angled triangles, that are triangles of dierent sizes but are the same shape.

For each of the triangles above, the ratios of corresponding sides have the same values. adjacent has the same value for each triangle. This ratio is given a special The ratio hypotenuse name, the cosine of or cos . opposite has the same value for each triangle. This ratio is the sine of or The ratio hypotenuse sin . opposite takes the same value for each triangle. This ratio is called the tangent The ratio adjacent of or tan . Summarising, cos = sin = tan = adjacent , hypotenuse opposite , hypotenuse opposite . adjacent

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The values of these ratios can be found using a calculator. Remember, we are working in radians so your calculator must be in radian mode. 3.1.1 Exercise

Use your calculator to evaluate the following. Where appropriate, compare your answers with the exact values for the special trigonometric ratios given in the next section. a. sin 6 e. sin 1.5 b. tan 1 f. tan 3 c. cos 3 g. cos 6 d. tan 4 h. sin 3

3.2

Some special trigonometric ratios

You will need to be familiar with the trigonometric ratios of , and . 6 3 4 The ratios of 6 and 3 are found with the aid of an equilateral triangle ABC with sides of length 2. BAC is bisected by AD, and ADC is a right angle. Pythagoras theorem tells us that the length of AD = 3. ACD = . 3 DAC = . 6
2 1

3 1

C
1 = , 3 2 3 sin = , 3 2 tan 3. = 3 cos

3 cos = , 6 2 1 sin = , 6 2 1 = . tan 6 3

are found with the aid of an isosceles The ratios of 4 right angled triangle XYZ with the two equal sides of length 1. Pythagoras theorem tells us that the hypotenuse of the triangle has length 2. 1 = , cos 4 2 1 = , sin 4 2 tan = 1. 4

X /4 2 1

/4

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The Trigonometric Functions

The denitions in the previous section apply to between 0 and , since the angles in a 2 right angle triangle can never be greater than 2 . The denitions given below are useful in calculus, as they extend sin , cos and tan without restrictions on the value of .

4.1

The cosine function

Lets begin with a denition of cos . Consider a circle of radius 1, with centre O at the origin of the (x, y ) plane. Let A be the point on the circumference of the circle with coordinates (1, 0). OA is a radius of the circle with length 1. Let P be a point on the circumference of the circle with coordinates (a, b). We can represent the angle between OA and OP, , by the arc length along the unit circle from A to P. This is the radian representation of . The cosine of is dened to be the x coordinate of P.

P(a,b)

Lets, for the moment, consider values of between 0 and . The cosine of is written 2 cos , so in the diagram above, cos = a. Notice that as increases from 0 to , cos 2 decreases from 1 to 0. For values of between 0 and , this denition agrees with the denition of cos as the 2 adjacent of the sides of a right angled triangle. ratio hypotenuse Draw PQ perpendicular OA. In OPQ, the hypotenuse OP has length 1, while OQ has length a. adjacent = a = cos . The ratio hypotenuse The denition of cos using the unit circle makes sense for all values of . For now, we will consider values of between 0 and 2 . The x coordinate of P gives the value of cos . When = , P is on the y axis, and its 2 x coordinate is zero. As increases beyond 2 , P moves around the circle into the second quadrant and therefore its x coordinate will be negative. When = , the x coordinate is 1.
P P

cos is positive

=0 cos 2

cos negative

cos = 1

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As increases further, P moves around into the third quadrant and its x coordinate increases from 1 to 0. Finally as increases from 32 to 2 the x coordinate of P increases from 0 to 1.

O O P P

cos is negative 4.1.1 Exercise

cos 32 =0

cos positive

cos 2 = 1

1. Use the cosine (cos) key on your calculator to complete this table. (Make sure your calculator is in radian mode.) cos cos
5 6

12

5 12

2 3

3 4

7 6

5 4

4 3

3 2

5 3

7 4

2. Using this table plot the graph of y = cos for values of ranging from 0 to 2 .

4.2

The sine function

The sine of is dened using the same unit circle diagram that we used to dene the cosine.
O

P(a,b)

The sine of is dened to be the y coordinate of P.

The sine of is written as sin , so in the diagram above, sin = b. For values of between 0 and , this denition agrees with the denition of sin as the 2 opposite ratio hypotenuse of sides of a right angled triangle. In the right angled triangle OQP, the hypotenuse OP has length 1 while PQ has length b. opposite = The ratio hypotenuse
b 1

= sin .

This denition of sin using the unit circle extends to all values of . Here, we will consider values of between 0 and 2 .

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As P moves anticlockwise around the circle from A to B, increases from 0 to . When 2 P is at A, sin = 0, and when P is at B, sin = 1. So as increases from 0 to , sin 2 increases from 0 to 1. The largest value of sin is 1. As increases beyond , sin decreases and equals zero when = . As increases 2 beyond , sin becomes negative.
P P

sin is positive

sin =1 2

sin positive

sin = 0

O O P P

sin is negative

= 1 sin 32

sin negative

sin 2 = 0

4.2.1

Exercise

1. Use the sin key on your calculator to complete this table. Make sure your calculator is in radian mode. sin sin 2. Plot the graph of the y = sin using the table in the previous exercise. 2 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 4.0 4.6 5.4 6.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6

4.3

The tangent function

We can dene the tangent of , written tan , in terms of sin and cos .

tan =

sin . cos

Using this denition we can work out tan for values of between 0 and 2 . You will

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be asked to do this in Exercise 3.3. In particular, we know from this denition that tan is not dened when cos = 0. This occurs when = or = 32 . 2 opposite When 0 < < this denition agrees with the denition of tan as the ratio adjacent 2 of the sides of a right angled triangle.

As before, consider the unit circle with points O, A and P as shown. Drop a perpendicular from the point P to OA which intersects OA at Q. As before P has coordinates (a, b) and Q coordinates (a, 0). PQ opposite = (in triangle OPQ) adjacent OQ b = a sin = cos = tan .
O

P(a,b)

using your calculator, you will get an error message. Look at the If you try to nd tan 2 denition. The tangent of is not dened as cos = 0. For values of near , tan is 2 2 2 very large. Try putting some values in your calculator. (eg 1 . 570796. Try tan(1 .57), 2 tan(1.5707), tan(1.57079).)

4.3.1

Exercise

1. Use the tan key on your calculator to complete this table. Make sure your calculator is in radian mode.

tan tan

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

1.2

1.4

1.50 1.65

2.4

2.8 3.2 3.6 4.0 4.4 4.6 4.65 4.78

5.0

5.6

6.0 6.28

2. Use the table above to graph tan .

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Your graph should look like this for values of between 0 and .

Notice that there is a vertical asymptote at = . This is because tan is not 2 dened at = . You will nd another 2 vertical asymptote at = 32 . When = 0 or , tan = 0. For greater than 0 and less than , tan is positive. For 2 values of greater than and less than 2 , tan is negative.

/2

4.4

Extending the domain

The denitions of sine, cosine and tangent can be extended to all real values of in the following way. 5 = 2 + corresponds to the arc length of 1 1 revolu4 2 2 tions around the unit circle going anticlockwise from A to B. Since B has coordinates (0, 1) we can use the previous denitions to get:
sin 52 = 1, cos 52 = 0, tan 52 is undened.

Similarly, 16 = sin(16) cos(16) tan(16) 2.546 2 2 2 + 0.546 2, sin(0.546 2 ) 0.29, 0.96, 0.30.

B O A

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4.4.1

Exercise

Evaluate the following trig functions giving exact answers where you are able. 1.
sin 15 2

2.

tan 13 6

3.

cos 15

4.

tan 14 3

5.

sin 23 6

Notice The values of sine and cosine functions repeat after every interval of length 2 . Since the real numbers x, x + 2 , x 2 , x + 4 , x 4 etc dier by a multiple of 2 , they correspond to the same point on the unit circle. So, sin x = sin(x + 2 ) = sin(x 2 ) = sin(x + 4 ) = sin(x 4 ) etc. We can see the eect of this in the functions below and will discuss it further in the next chapter.
1 2 1 cos 2 1 0 2 sin 0 2

The tangent function repeats after every interval of length .

1 2 1 0 2

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Graphs of Trigonometric Functions

In this section we use our knowledge of the graphs y = sin x and y = cos x to sketch the graphs of more complex trigonometric functions.
sin x x 2 1 0 2

1 2 1

cosx x 0 2

Lets look rst at some important features of these two graphs. The shape of each graph is repeated after every interval of length 2 . This makes sense when we think of the way we have dened sin and cos using the unit circle. We say that these functions are periodic with period 2 . The sin and cos functions are the most famous examples of a class of functions called periodic functions. Functions with the property that f (x) = f (x + a) for all x are called periodic functions. Such a function is said to have period a. This means that the function repeats itself after every interval of length a. Note that you can have periodic functions that are not trigonometric functions. For example, the function below is periodic with period 2.

-4

-3

-2

-1

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The values of the functions y = sin x and y = cos x oscillate between 1 and 1. We say that y = sin x and y = cos x have amplitude 1. A general denition for the amplitude of any periodic function is: The amplitude of a periodic function is half the distance between its minimum and maximum values. Also, the functions y = sin x and y = cos x oscillate about the x-axis. We refer to the x-axis as the mean level of these functions, or say that they have a mean level of 0. We notice that the graphs of sin x and cos x have the same shape. The graph of sin x looks like the graph of cos x shifted to the right by units. We say that the phase dierence 2 between the two functions is . 2 Other trigonometric functions can be obtained by modifying the graphs of sin x and cos x.

5.1

Changing the amplitude

Consider the graph of the function y = 2 sin x.

The graph of y = 2 sin x has the same period as y = sin x but has been stretched in the y direction by a factor of 2. That is, for every value of x the y value for y = 2 sin x is twice the y value for y = sin x. So, the amplitude of the function y = 2 sin x is 2. Its period is 2 . In general we can say that the amplitude of the function y = a sin x is a, since in this case y = a sin x oscillates between a and a. What happens if a is negative? See the solution to number 3 of the following exercise. 5.1.1 Exercise

Sketch the graphs of the following functions. 1. y = 3 cos x sin x 2. y = 1 2 3. y = 3 cos x

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5.2

Changing the period

Lets consider the graph of y = cos 2x. To sketch the graph of y = cos 2x, rst think about some specic points. We will look at the points where the function y = cos x equals 0 or 1.
y y = cos x 2 1 1 x 0 2 y = cos 2x

cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1

when x = 0, , when x = 2 when x = , when x =

so cos 2x = 1 so cos 2x = 0 so cos 2x = 1 so cos 2x = 0 so cos 2x = 1

when 2x = 0, when 2x = , 2 when 2x = , when 2x =

ie x = 0. ie x = . 4 . ie x = 2 ie x =
3 . 4

when x = 2 ,

when 2x = 2 ,

ie x = .

As we see from the graph, the function y = cos 2x has a period of . The function still oscillates between the values 1 and 1, so its amplitude is 1. x. Again we will sketch the graph by looking at Now, lets consider the function y = cos 1 2 the points where y = cos x equals 0 or 1.
y y = cos x 1 1 0 2 y = cos 1/2x x 3 4

cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1

when x = 0, , when x = 2 when x = , when x =

x=1 so cos 1 2 so cos 1 x=0 2 x = 1 so cos 1 2 so cos 1 x=0 2 x=1 so cos 1 2

when 1 x = 0, 2 when 1 x= , 2 2 when 1 x = , 2 when 1 x= 2

ie x = 0. ie x = . ie x = 2 . ie x = 3 . ie x = 4 .

when x = 2 ,

when 1 x = 2 , 2

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In this case our modied function y = cos 1 x has period 4 . Its amplitude is 1. 2 What happens if we take the function y = cos x where > 0?
y 1 x 2/ / 1 0 / 2/ y = cos x

cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1 cos x = 0 cos x = 1

when x = 0, , when x = 2 when x = , when x =

so cos x = 1 so cos x = 0 so cos x = 1 so cos x = 0 so cos x = 1

when x = 0, when x = , 2 when x = , when x =

ie x = 0. ie x =
. 2

. ie x =

ie x = ie x =

3 . 2 2 .

when x = 2 ,

when x = 2 ,

In general, if we take the function y = cos x where > 0, the period of the function is 2 . What happens if we have a function like y = cos(2x)? See the solution to number 3 of the following exercise.

5.2.1

Exercise

Sketch the graphs of the following functions. Give the amplitude and period of each function. x 1. y = cos 1 2 2. y = 2 sin x 4 3. y = cos(2x) 4. y = sin(2x) 5. y = 3 sin x sin 2x 6. y = 1 2 7. Find the equation of a sin or cos function which has amplitude 4 and period 2.

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5.3

Changing the mean level

We saw above that the functions y = sin x and y = cos x both oscillate about the x-axis which is sometimes refered to as the mean level for y = sin x and y = cos x. We can change the mean level of the function by adding or subtracting a constant. For example, adding the constant 2 to y = cos x gives us y = cos x + 2 and has the eect of shifting the whole graph up by 2 units. So, the mean level of y = cos x + 2 is 2.
y 2 1 2 0 2 x 2

Similarly, we can shift the graph of y = cos x down by two units. In this case, we have y = cos x 2, and this function has mean level 2.
y 2 0 2 -2 y = cos x 2 2

In general, if d > 0, the function y = cos x + d looks like the function y = cos x shifted up by d units. If d > 0, then the function y = cos x d looks like the function y = cos x shifted down by d units. If d < 0, say d = 2, the function y = cos x + d = cos x + (2) can be writen as y = cos x 2 so again looks like the function y = cos x shifted down by 2 units.

5.3.1

Exercise

Sketch the graphs of the following functions. 1. y = sin 2x + 3 2. y = 2 cos x 1 3. Find a cos or sin function which has amplitude 2, period 1, and mean level 1.

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5.4

Changing the phase

Consider the function y = sin(x ). 4

) we again use the points at which y = sin x is 0 or To sketch the graph of y = sin(x 4 1. sin x = 0 sin x = 1 sin x = 0 sin x = 1 sin x = 0 when x = 0, , when x = 2 when x = , when x =
3 , 2

)=0 so sin(x 4 so sin(x )=1 4 )=0 so sin(x 4

when x when x when x

4 4 4 4 4

= 0, = , 2 = , =
3 , 2

ie x = 0 + ie x =
2

4 4 4

= . 4 = =
3 . 4 5 . 4 7 . 4 9 . 4

ie x = + ie x =
3 2

so sin(x ) = 1 when x 4 )=0 so sin(x 4 when x

4 4

= =

when x = 2 ,

= 2 , ie x = 2 +
4

The graph of y = sin(x ) looks like the graph of y = sin x shifted 4 We say that there has been a phase shift to the right by . 4 Now consider the function y = sin(x + ). 4
y y = sin x 2 /4 0

units to the right.

y = sin (x + /4 ) x 2

sin x = 0 sin x = 1 sin x = 0 sin x = 1 sin x = 0

when x = 0, , when x = 2 when x = , when x =

)=0 so sin(x + 4 so sin(x + )=1 4 )=0 so sin(x + 4

when x + when x + when x +

4 4 4 4 4

= 0, = , 2 = , =
3 , 2

ie x = 0 ie x =
2

4 4 4

= . 4 = . 4 =
3 . 4 5 . 4 7 . 4

ie x = ie x =
3 2

so sin(x + ) = 1 when x + 4 )=0 so sin(x + 4 when x +

4 4

= =

when x = 2 ,

= 2 , ie x = 2

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4

The graph of y = sin(x + ) looks like the graph of y = sin x shifted 4

units to the left.

More generally, the graph of y = sin(x c) where c > 0 can be drawn by shifting the graph of y = sin x to the right by c units.
y y = sin x 0 c

y = sin (x - c) for c>0 x

Similarly, the graph of y = sin(x + c) where c > 0 can be drawn by shifting the graph of y = sin x to the left by c units.
y y = sin x 2 c 0 y = sin (x + c) for c>0 x 2

What happens to y = sin(x c) if c < 0? Consider, for example, what happens when c= . In this case we can write x =x+ . So, y = sin(x ) = sin(x + ) and 4 4 4 4 4 we have a shift to the left by 4 units as before. 5.4.1 Exercise

Sketch the graphs of the following functions. ) 1. y = cos(x 2 ) (Hint: For this one youll need to think about the period as well.) 2. y = sin 2(x + 2 3. y = 3 cos(x + ) 4. y = 3 cos(x + ) + 2 (Hint: Use the previous exercise.) 5. Find a sin or cos function that has amplitude 2, period , and for which f (0) = 2.

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Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions

This Chapter assumes you have a knowledge of dierential calculus. If you have not studied dierential calculus before, go on to the next chapter.

6.1

The calculus of trigonometric functions

When dierentiating all trigonometric functions there are two things that we need to remember.

d sin x = cos x dx d cos x = sin x. dx

Of course all the rules of dierentiation apply to the trigonometric functions. Thus we can use the product, quotient and chain rules to dierentiate combinations of trigonometric functions. sin x For example, tan x = , so we can use the quotient rule to calculate the derivative. cos x sin x cos x

f (x) = tan x = f (x) = =

cos x.(cos x) sin x.( sin x) (cos x)2 cos2 x + sin2 x 1 = cos x cos2 x (since cos2 x + sin2 x = 1)

= sec2 x. Note also that cos2 x sin2 x cos2 x + sin2 x = + = 1 + tan2 x 2 2 2 cos x cos x cos x d tan x = sec2 x = 1 + tan2 x. dx

so it is also true that

Example Dierentiate f (x) = sin2 x. Solution f (x) = sin2 x is just another way of writing f (x) = (sin x)2 . This is a composite function, with the outside function being ()2 and the inside function being sin x. By the chain rule,

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f (x) = 2(sin x)1 cos x = 2 sin x cos x. Alternatively, setting u = sin x we get f (u) = u2 and df (x) df (u) du du = = 2u = 2 sin x cos x. dx du dx dx Example Dierentiate g (z ) = cos(3z 2 + 2z + 1). Solution Again we should recognise this as a composite function, with the outside function being cos() and the inside function being 3z 2 + 2z + 1. By the chain rule g (z ) = sin(3z 2 + 2z + 1) (6z + 2) = (6z + 2) sin(3z 2 + 2z + 1). Example Dierentiate f (t) = Solution By the quotient rule f (t) = et (sin t cos t) et sin t et cos t = . sin2 t sin2 t et . sin t

Example Use the quotient rule or the composite function rule to nd the derivatives of cot x, sec x, and cosec x. Solution These functions are dened as follows: cot x = cos x sin x 1 sec x = cos x 1 csc x = . sin x

By the quotient rule

d cot x 1 sin2 x cos2 x = . = 2 dx sin x sin2 x Using the composite function rule d sec x sin x d(cos x)1 = = (cos x)2 ( sin x) = . dx dx cos2 x cos x d(sin x)1 d csc x = = (sin x)2 cos x = 2 . dx dx sin x

6.1.1

Exercise

Dierentiate the following: 1. cos 3x 2. 7. sin(4x + 5) sin x x 3. 8. sin3 x sin 1 x 4. 9. sin x cos x tan( x) 5. 10. x2 sin x 1 1 sin x x

6. cos(x2 + 1)

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A Brief Look at Inverse Trigonometric Functions

Before we dene the inverse trigonometric functions we need to think about exactly what we mean by a function. A function f from a set of elements A to a set of elements B is a rule that assigns to each element x in A exactly one element f (x) in B . y = sin x, y = cos x and y = tan x are functions in the sense of this denition with A and B being sets of real numbers. Lets look at the function y = cos x. As you can see, whatever value we choose for x, there is only ever one accompanying value for y . For example, when x = , y = 0. 2
1 2 1 cosx x 0 2

Now lets consider the following question. Suppose we have cos x = 0.5 and we want to nd the value of x.
1 2 1 cosx x 0 2

As you can see from the diagram above, there are (innitely) many values of x for which y = cos x = 0.5. Indeed, there are innitely many solutions to the equation cos x = a where 1 a 1. (There are no solutions if a is outside this interval.) If we want an interval for x where there is only one solution to cos x = a for 1 a 1, then we can choose the interval from 0 to . We could also choose the interval x 2 or many others. It is a mathematical convention to choose 0 x .
cosx 1

x 0

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In the interval from 0 to , we can nd a unique solution to the equation cos x = a where a is in the interval 1 a 1. We write this solution as x = cos1 a. Another way of saying this is that x is the number in the interval 0 x whose cosine is a. Now that we have found an interval of x for which there is only one solution of the equation cos x = a where 1 a 1, we can dene an inverse function for cos x.

7.1

Denition of the inverse cosine function

We will describe an inverse function for cos x where 0 x . For 1 x 1, f 1 (x) = cos1 (x) is the number in the interval 0 to whose cosine is x. So, we have: cos1 (1) =
1 )= cos1 ( 2 4

since since since since

cos = 1, cos = 4
1 , 2

cos1 (0) =

cos = 0, 2 cos 0 = 1.

cos1 (1) = 0

Provided we take the function cos x where 0 x 1, we can dene an inverse function f 1 (x) = cos1 (x). This function is dened for x in the interval 1 x 1, and is sketched below.
1 f (x)

/2

x 1 0
2

1
2

Inverse functions for sin x where in a similar way.

x , and tan x where 2

<x<

can be dened

For a more detailed discussion of inverse functions see the Mathematics Learning Centre booklet: Functions.

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7.1.1

Exercise

1. The inverse function, f 1 (x) = sin1 (x), is dened for the function f (x) = sin x where x . Complete the following table of values. 2 2 sin1 ( ) = sin1 ( ) = sin1 ( ) = sin1 ( ) = sin1 ( ) = since since since since since
sin = 1, 2 1 sin = , 4 2

sin 0 = 0, sin = 3
3 , 2

sin = 1. 2

2. Sketch the function f 1 (x) = sin1 (x) using the values in the previous exercise.

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Solutions to Exercises

Exercise 2.2.1

a. 30 or

radians

b. 1 radian or 57.3

c. 120 or

2 3

radians

d.

3 4

radians or 135

e. 2 radians or 114.6

f.

4 3

radians or 240

g. 270 or

3 2

radians

h. 1 radians or 57.3

i. radians or 90 2

Exercise 3.1.1 a. sin = 0.5 6 e. sin 1.5 = 0.997 b. tan 1 = 1.557 = 1.732 f. tan 3 c. cos = 0.5 3 g. cos = 0.866 6 d. tan =1 4 h. sin = 0.866 3

Exercise 4.1.1 1. cos cos 0 1

0.97 1

0.87
7 6

0.71
5 4

0.5
4 3

0.26
3 2

0
5 3

0.5 0.71
7 4

2 1

0.87

0.87 0.71 0.5

0.5

0.71

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2.
cos
1.00

-1.00

Exercise 4.2.1 1. sin sin 2.

0 0 2

0.2

0.4

0.6 0.56 3.2

0.8 0.72 3.6

1 0.84 4.0

1.2 0.93 4.6

1.4 0.99 5.4

1.6 1.00 6.5

0.20 0.39 2.4 2.8

0.91 0.68 0.33 0.06 0.44 0.76 0.99 0.77 0.083

-1.00

Exercise 4.3.1 1. tan tan tan 0 0 1.50 0.2 0.20 1.65 0.4 0.42 2 0.6 0.68 2.4 0.92 4.78 0.8 1.03 2.8 0.36 5.0 1.0 1.56 3.2 0.06 5.6 1.2 2.57 3.6 0.49 6.0 1.4 5.80 4.0 1.16 6.28

14.10 12.60 2.19 4.4 3.10 4.6 8.86 4.65 16.01

14.77 3.38 0.81 0.29 0.00

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2.
tan
10.0

-10.0

Exercise 4.4.1
= sin 32 = 1 since 1. sin 15 2 2. tan 13 = tan = 6 6 1 . 3 15 2

and

3 2

dier by 6 = 3 2 .

3. cos 15 = 0.76.
4. tan 14 = tan 23 = tan 43 = tan = 3 3 5. sin 23 = sin 53 = sin = 3 3 3 . 2

3.

Exercise 5.1.1 1. y = 3cosx

y
2.00

-2

-2.00

The amplitude of this function is 3.

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2. y = 1 sin x 2

y
1.00

-2

-1.00

. The amplitude of this function is 1 2 3. y = 3 cos x

y
2.00

-2

-2.00

The amplitude of this function is 3. Notice that it is just the graph of y = 3 cos x (in dots) reected in the x-axis. Exercise 5.2.1 x 1. y = cos 1 2

y
1.00

-1.00

This function has period 4 and amplitude 1.

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2. y = 2 sin x 4

y
2.00

-5

-4

-3

-2

-2.00

This function has period 8 and amplitude 2. 3. y = cos(2x)

y
1.00

-2

-1.00

This function has period and amplitude 1. Notice that this function looks like y = cos 2x. The cosine function is an even function, so, cos(2x) = cos 2x for all values of x. 4. y = sin(2x)

y
1.00

-2

-1.00

This function has period and amplitude 1. Notice that this function is a reection of y = sin 2x in the x-axis. The sine function is an odd function, so, sin(2x) = sin 2x for all values of x.

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5. y = 3 sin x

y
2.00

x
-3.00 -2.00 -1.00 1.00 2.00 3.00

-2.00

This function has period 2 and amplitude 3. sin 2x 6. y = 1 2

y
1.00

x
-3.00 -2.00 -1.00 1.00 2.00 3.00

-1.00

. This function has period 1 and amplitude 1 2 7. y = 4 cos x (solid line) or y = 4 sin x (in dashes). There are many other solutions. y
4.00

2.00

x
-3.00 -2.00 -1.00 1.00 2.00 3.00

-2.00

-4.00

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Exercise 5.3.1 1. y = sin 2x + 3

y
4.00

2.00

-2

This function has amplitude 1, period and mean level 3. 2. y = 2 cos x 1

y x
-6.00 -4.00 -2.00 2.00 4.00 6.00

-2.00

-4.00

This function has amplitude 2, period 2 and mean level 1. 3. y = 2 cos 2x 1 (solid line) or y = 2 sin 2x 1 (in dashes) or many others.

-3.00

-2.00

-1.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

-2.00

-4.00

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Exercise 5.4.1 1. y = cos(x ) 2

y
2.00

-2

-2.00

The function y = cos x (in dots) has been shifted to the right by this function looks like y = sin x. 2. y = sin 2(x + ) 2

units. Notice that

y
2.00

-2

-2.00

The period of this function is . The function y = sin 2x (in dots) has been shifted units. to the left by 2 3. y = 3 cos(x + )

y
2.00

-2

-2.00

This function has period 2 and amplitude 3. The function y = 3 cos x (in dots) has been shifted to the left by units.

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4. y = 3 cos(x + ) + 2

y
4.00

2.00

-2

This function has period 2 and amplitude 3. The function 3 cos(x + ) (see prevoius exercise) has been reected in the x-axis and shifted up by 2 units. 5. y = 2 sin 2x + 2 (in dashes) or y = 2 cos 2x (solid line) or many others.

y
4.00

2.00

-2

-2.00

Exercise 6.1.1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. d (cos 3x) = 3 sin 3x. dx d (sin(4x + 5)) = 4 cos(4x + 5). dx d (sin3 x) = 3 sin2 x cos x. dx d (sin x cos x) = sin x( sin x) + cos x(cos x) = cos2 x sin2 x. dx d 2 (x sin x) = x2 cos x + 2x sin x. dx d (cos(x2 + 1)) = sin(x2 + 1)(2x) = 2x sin(x2 + 1). dx

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7. 8. 9. 10.

d sin x x cos x sin x . ( )= dx x x2 cos 1 d 1 1 (sin ) = (cos )(x2 ) = 2 x . dx x x x

1 1 sec2 x d 2 . (tan( x)) = (sec ( x))( x 2 ) = dx 2 2 x 1 1 1 d 1 1 1 1 1 ( sin ) = (cos )(x2 ) + (sin )(x2 ) = 3 (cos + x sin ). dx x x x x x x x x

Exercise 7.1.1 1. sin1 (1) = 2

since since since

sin = 1 2 1 sin = 4 2

sin1 (0) = 0 sin1 (

sin 0 = 0 sin = 3
3 2

=
2

since since

sin1 (1) =

sin =1 2

2. f 1 (x) = sin1 (x)

x
-1.00 1.00

-1.00

/2