6 Inverse Functions

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

6.7 Hyperbolic Functions

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives

3
Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (1 of 5)
Certain combinations of the exponential functions e x and e − x
arise so frequently in mathematics and its applications that they deserve to be
given special names.
In many ways they are analogous to the trigonometric functions, and they have
the same relationship to the hyperbola that the trigonometric functions have to
the circle.

4
Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (2 of 5)
For this reason they are collectively called hyperbolic functions and
individually called hyperbolic sine, hyperbolic cosine, and so on.

Definition of the Hyperbolic Functions

e x − e− x 1
sinh x = csch x =
2 sinh x
e x + e− x 1
cosh x = sech x =
2 cosh x
sinh x cosh x
tanh x = coth x =
cosh x sinh x

5
Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (3 of 5)
The hyperbolic functions satisfy a number of identities that are similar to well-
known trigonometric identities.
We list some of them here and leave most of the proofs to the exercises.

Hyperbolic Identities

sinh ( − x ) = − sinh x cosh ( − x ) = cosh x

cosh2 x − sinh2 x = 1 1 − tanh2 x = sech2 x
sinh ( x + y ) = sinh x cosh y + cosh x sinh y
cosh ( x + y ) = cosh x cosh y + sinh x sinh y

6
Example 1
Prove (a) cosh2 x − sinh2 x = 1 and

(b) 1 − tanh2 x = sech2 x.

Solution:
2 2
e +e  e −e 
x −x x −x
(a) cosh x − sinh x = 
2 2
 − 
 2   2 
e 2 x + 2 + e −2 x e 2 x − 2 + e −2 x
= −
4 4
4
=
4
=1
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Example 1 – Solution
(b) We start with the identity proved in part (a):

cosh2 x − sinh2 x = 1

If we divide both sides by cosh2 x, we get

sinh2 x 1
1− =
cosh2 x cosh2 x

or
1 − tanh2 x = sech2 x

8
Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (4 of 5)
The derivatives of the hyperbolic functions are easily computed. For example,

d d  e x − e− x 
( sinh x ) =  
dx dx  2 
e x + e− x
=
2
= cosh x

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Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (5 of 5)
We list the differentiation formulas for the hyperbolic functions as Table 1.
1 Table of Derivatives of Hyperbolic Functions

d d
( sinh x ) = cosh x ( csch x ) = − csch x coth x
dx dx
d d
( cosh x ) = sinh x ( sech x ) = − sech x tanh x
dx dx
d d
( tanh x ) = sech2 x ( coth x ) = − csch2 x
dx dx

10
Example 2
dy
If y = cosh x , find .
dx

Solution: Using (1) and the Chain Rule, we have

dy
=
dx dx
d
cosh x( ) = sinh x 
d
dx
x

sinh x
=
2 x

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Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their
Derivatives

12
Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (1 of 5)
The sinh and tanh are one-to-one functions and so they have inverse functions
denoted by sinh−1 and tanh−1. The cosh is not one-to-one, but when restricted
to the domain 0,  ) it becomes one-to-one.

The inverse hyperbolic cosine function is defined as the inverse of this

restricted function.

2 y = sinh−1 x  sinh y = x
y = cosh−1 x  cosh y = x and y  0
y = tanh−1 x  tanh y = x

13
Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (2 of 5)
We can sketch the graphs of sinh−1, cosh−1, and tanh−1 in Figures 8, 9, and 10.

y = sinh−1 x y = cosh−1 x
domain = range = domain = 1,  ) range = 0,  )

Figure 8 Figure 9

14
Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (3 of 5)

y = tanh−1 x
domain = ( −1, 1) range =
Figure 10

15
Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (4 of 5)
Since the hyperbolic functions are defined in terms of exponential functions, it’s
not surprising to learn that the inverse hyperbolic functions can be expressed in
terms of logarithms.
In particular, we have:

3 (
sinh−1 x = ln x + x 2 + 1 ) x

4 cosh−1 x = ln ( x + x2 − 1) x 1

1  1+ x 
tanh−1 x = −1  x  1
2  1 − x 
5 ln 

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Example 3
(
Show that sinh−1 x = ln x + x 2 + 1 . )
Solution:
−1
Let y = sinh x. Then
ey − e− y
x = sinh y =
2

so e y − 2x − e − y = 0

or, multiplying by e y , e2 y − 2xe y − 1 = 0

17
Example 3 – Solution (1 of 2)
This is really a quadratic equation in e y :

( ) ( )
2
e y
− 2x e y − 1 = 0

Solving by the quadratic formula, we get

2x  4 x 2 + 4
ey =
2
= x  x2 + 1

(
Note that e y  0, but x − x 2 + 1  0 because x  x 2 + 1 . )

18
Example 3 – Solution (2 of 2)
Thus the minus sign is inadmissible and we have

ey = x + x 2 + 1

Therefore
( ) (
y = ln e y = ln x + x 2 + 1)

This shows that

(
sinh−1 x = ln x + x 2 + 1 )

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Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives (5 of 5)
6 Table of Derivatives of Inverse Hyperbolic Functions

d
( −1
sinh x =) 1 d
( )
csch−1 x = −
1
dx 1+ x 2 dx x x2 + 1
d
( )
cosh−1 x =
1 d
( )
sech−1 x = −
1
dx x −12 dx x 1− x 2
d
dx
( −1
tanh x =) 1
1− x 2
d
dx
( −1
coth x =) 1
1− x 2

The inverse hyperbolic functions are all differentiable because the hyperbolic
functions are differentiable.

20
Example 4
Prove that d ( sinh−1 x ) = 1
.
dx 1+ x 2

Solution:
−1
Let y = sinh x. Then sinh y = x. If we differentiate this equation implicitly
with respect to x, we get
dy
cosh y =1
dx

21
Example 4 – Solution
Since cosh2 y − sinh2 y = 1 and cosh y ≥ 0, we have cosh y = 1 + sinh2 y , so

dy 1
=
dx cosh y
1
=
1 + sinh2 y
1
=
1+ x 2

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