Inverse Trigonometric

Functions
 Recall: Properties of Inverse Functions
➢ Only one-to-one functions have inverse functions.
➢ The Horizontal Line Test is used to determine whether a function is one-
to-one or not.
➢ In the graphs of inverse functions, the coordinates of the points are
interchanged.
➢The domains and ranges of inverse functions are interchanged.
➢ The graph of the inverse of a one-to-one function is the reflection of the
graph of its inverse in the line 𝒚 = 𝒙.
➢ 𝒇 𝒇−𝟏 𝒙 = 𝒙 and 𝒇−𝟏 𝒇 𝒙 = 𝒙.
• The six trigonometric
functions are not one-to-one;
hence, they do not have
inverse functions.
• Ex.
• 𝒚 = sin 𝒙
• Domain: ℝ
• Range: [−𝟏. 𝟏]
• However, we can restrict the domain of a
trigonometric function to an interval on
which the function will be one-to-one.
• In this case, the new function will now
have an inverse function.
• For example, we restrict the domain of
𝝅 𝝅
the sine function to − , and on this
𝟐 𝟐
interval, the new function (called the
principal sine function) is one-to-one.
• Look at the black portion of the graph.
 Inverse Sine Function
• Def. The inverse sine function, denoted 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 , is the function
defined as follows:
• 𝒚 = sin−𝟏 𝒙 is equivalent to that sin 𝒚 = 𝒙,
𝝅 𝝅
• with −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏 and − ≤𝒚≤ .
𝟐 𝟐
• The inverse sine function is also called arcsine, denoted by
𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐬𝐢𝐧.
Inverse Sine Function
𝒚 = sin−𝟏 𝒙
Domain: [−𝟏, 𝟏]
𝝅 𝝅
Range: − ,
𝟐 𝟐
• Ex. Evaluate.
−𝟏 𝝅
• 1. 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟏=
𝟐
𝝅 𝝅 𝝅 𝝅
• (since sin = 𝟏 and is in the interval − , )
𝟐 𝟐 𝟐 𝟐
−𝟏
• 2. 𝐬𝐢𝐧 −𝟏 = ?
What is that real number whose sine is -1 and that real
𝝅 𝝅
number is in the interval − , ?
𝟐 𝟐
𝝅
Ans. −
𝟐
• 3. 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 𝟎 = ?
• What is that
𝝅 𝝅
real number 𝒚 that satisfies sin 𝒚 = 𝟎 and 𝒚 is in the
interval − , ?
𝟐 𝟐
• Ans. 𝟎
−𝟏 𝟏
• 4. 𝐬𝐢𝐧 − =?
𝟐
𝟏
• What is that real number 𝒚 that satisfies sin 𝒚 = − and 𝒚 is in the
𝝅 𝝅 𝟐
interval − , ?
𝟐 𝟐
𝝅
• Ans. −
𝟔
• −𝟏
5. 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟐 =?
➢ The following relations follow from the inverse function
properties:
• sin sin−1 𝑥 = 𝑥, for −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏
−𝟏 𝝅 𝝅
• sin sin 𝒙 = 𝒙, for − ≤𝒙≤
𝟐 𝟐
−𝟏 𝝅
• Ex. sin(sin 𝟏) = sin = 𝟏
𝟐
−𝟏 𝝅 −𝟏 𝟏 𝝅
• sin (sin ) = sin =
𝟔 𝟐 𝟔
Principal Cosine Function

Domain: [𝟎, 𝝅]
Range: [−𝟏, 𝟏]
 Inverse Cosine Function
• Def. The inverse cosine function is the function defined as
follows:
• 𝒚 = 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙 means that 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝒚 = 𝒙 ,
• with the restrictions that and −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏 and 𝟎 ≤ 𝒚 ≤ 𝝅.
• The inverse cosine is also called arccosine, denoted by
𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐬.
𝒚 = 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙
Domain: [−𝟏, 𝟏]
Range: [𝟎, 𝝅]
• Ex. Evaluate.
−𝟏 𝟑
• 1. 𝐜𝐨𝐬
𝟐
What is that real number in the interval [𝟎, 𝝅] whose cosine
𝟑
is ?
𝟐
−𝟏
2. 𝐜𝐨𝐬 (−𝟏)
−𝟏 𝟏
• 3. 𝐜𝐨𝐬
𝟑
−𝟏 𝟐
• 4. 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −
𝟐
➢ From the inverse function properties, it follows that
cos cos −1 𝑥 = 𝑥, for −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏
cos −𝟏 cos 𝒙 = 𝒙, for 𝟎 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝝅
Principal Tangent Function
𝝅 𝝅
Domain: − ,
𝟐 𝟐
Range: ℝ
 Inverse Tangent Function
• Def. The inverse tangent function is the function defined as
follows:
• 𝒚 = 𝐭𝐚𝐧−𝟏 𝒙 means that tan 𝒚 = 𝒙
• with the restrictions that 𝒙 is any real number and
𝝅 𝝅
• − <𝒚< .
𝟐 𝟐
𝒚 = 𝐭𝐚𝐧−𝟏 𝒙
Domain: ℝ
𝝅 𝝅
Range: − ,
𝟐 𝟐
➢ From the inverse function properties, we have
tan tan−1 𝑥 = 𝑥, for 𝒙 ∈ ℝ
−𝟏 𝝅 𝝅
tan tan 𝒙 = 𝒙, for − <𝒙<
𝟐 𝟐
• Ex. Evaluate.
• 1. 𝐭𝐚𝐧−𝟏 𝟏
• 2. 𝐭𝐚𝐧−𝟏 𝟐
−𝟏 𝟐
• 3. sin sin
𝟑
−𝟏 𝝅
• 4. cos cos
𝟒
 −𝟏 𝟓
• Ex. Evaluate: 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧
𝟏𝟑
−𝟏 𝟓
• Sol. Let 𝜽 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧 .
𝟏𝟑
𝟓 𝝅
• ⇒ sin 𝜽 = and 𝟎 < 𝜽 < .
𝟏𝟑 𝟐
𝟏𝟐
• ⇒ cos 𝜽 =
𝟏𝟑
−𝟏 𝟓 𝟏𝟐
• Thus, 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧 = .
𝟏𝟑 𝟏𝟑
• Ex. Rewrite into an expression in terms of 𝒙, where −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏.
• tan(sin−𝟏 𝒙)
• Sol. Let 𝜽 = sin−𝟏 𝒙.
𝝅 𝝅
• ⇒ sin 𝜃 = 𝒙 , where 𝜽 is in the interval − , .
𝟐 𝟐
• Thus,
sin 𝜽
• tan 𝜃 =
cos 𝜽
𝒙
• =
𝟏−𝒙𝟐
• Ex. Rewrite into an expression in terms of 𝒙, where −𝟏 ≤ 𝒙 ≤ 𝟏:
• 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙)
• Note: Let 𝜽 = 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙 .
• This means
• 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 = 𝒙, where 𝜽 is in the interval 𝟎, 𝝅 .
• Then,
• 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙) = sin 𝟐𝜽
• = 𝟐 sin 𝜃 cos 𝜃 (By the identity)
• = 𝟐 𝟏 − 𝒙𝟐 (𝒙)
• or 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝒙) = 𝟐𝒙 𝟏 − 𝒙𝟐 .
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