INVERSE TRIGONOMETRIC

FUNCTIONS
INVERSE TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS
If sin  = x is a trigonometrical equation, then the value of  which satisfies this equation is denoted by sin–1 x
and it is read as ‘sine inverse x’. It is called inverse function of sine. Similarly inverse functions of other
trigonometrical functions are defined. Hence inverse functions of trigonometrical functions are defined as follows-
sin–1 x =   sin  = x
cos–1 x =   cos  = x
–1
tan x =   tan  = x
–1
cot x =   cot  = x
sec–1 x =   sec  = x
–1
cosec x =   cosec  = x

DOMAIN AND RANGE OF INVERSE FUNCTIONS

As we know that in direct trigonometric functions, we are given the angle and we calculate the trigonometric ratio
(sine, cosine, etc.) or the value at that angle. Also to many values of the angle the value of trigonometric ratio is
 5 9
same e.g., tan  = 1 for   , , , etc. Inverse trigonometry deals with obtaining the angles, given the value
4 4 4
of a trigonometric ratio. In inverse trigonometry some restrictions have been imposed on the angles, and these are
based on the principle values of the angles.
 
The inverse of sine function is defined as sin–1x =  or arc sin x =  , where 1  x  1 and     e.g.,
2 2
1  5 13 1 1
 3 
sin1  and nothing else, although sin , sin etc. are also equal to , sin  2   3 only. Note that
2 6 6 6 2  
1  1 1 
sin1 x  Q   sin x  
sin x  sin x 
We list below the difinitions of all inverse trigonometric functions with their respective domains and ranges.
Function Domain Range
y = f(x) (permitted value of x) (permitted value of y)

  
(i) y = sin–1x [–1, 1]  2 , 2 
 

(ii) y = cos–1x [–1, 1] 0, 

  
(iii) y = tan–1 x  ,    , 
 2 2

(iv) y = cot–1 x  ,    0,  )

   
(v) y = sec–1 x  , 1  1,   0, 2    2 , 
   
    
(vi) y = cosec–1 x  , 1  1,    2 ,0   0, 2 
   
[1]
[2] Inverse Trigonometric Function

 1  2   5
e.g., cos–1     ; tan–1 (–1) = – ; cosec–1 (2) = ; sec–1(–1) =  ; cot–1 (– 3 ) = , etc.
 2  3 4 6 6

PROPERTIES OF INVERSE FUNCTIONS

(i) sin(sin–1x) = x 1  x  1
–1
cos(cos x) = x 1  x  1
–1
tan(tan x) = x   x  
cot(cot–1x) = x   x  
sec(sec–1x) = x x  1 or x  1
–1
cosec(cosec x) = x x  1 or x  1
 
(ii) sin–1(sin  ) =  only if  
2 2
cos–1(cos  ) =  only if 0

 
tan–1(tan  ) =  only if – < <
2 2
cot–1(cot  ) =  only if 0

 
sec–1(sec  ) =  only if 0 or    
2 2

 
cosec–1(cosec  ) =  only if     0 or 0   
2 2

 5  5
e.g., tan–1  tan 6   6
 

 5   1  
tan–1  tan 6  = tan–1    =–

   3 6
(iii) sin–1(–x) = –sin–1x 1  x  1
–1 –1
cos (–x) =  – cos x 1  x  1
tan–1(–x) = – tan–1x   x  
cot–1(–x) =  – cot–1x   x  
 1
(iv) sin–1 x = cosec–1  x  1  x  0 or 0  x  1
 
 1
cos–1 x = sec–1  x  1  x  0 or 0  x  1
 
 1
tan–1 x = cot–1  x  only if x>0
 
because range of these two functions are different.
1 1  1
If x < 0, tan x    cot  
x  

(v) sin–1 x + cos–1x = 1  x  1
2
Inverse Trigonometric Function [3]


tan–1 x + cot–1x =   x  
2


sec–1 x + cosec–1x = x  1 or x  1
2

SUM AND DIFFERENCE FORMULAE

(i) sin–1 x + sin–1y = sin–1 (x 1 y 2 + y 1 x 2 ) if xy  0 or x2  y 2  1


   sin 1 x 1  y 2  y 1  x 2 , if x  0, y  0, x 2  y 2  1
 
=    sin 1 x 1  y 2  y 1  x 2 , if x  0, y  0 and x 2  y 2  1
 
  

sin–1 x – sin–1y = sin–1 (x 1 y 2 – y 1 x2 ) if xy  0 and x 2  y 2  1

(ii) cos–1 x + cos–1y = cos–1 (xy– 1 x 2 1 y 2 ), if x + y ³ 0

= 2 – cos–1 (xy – 1 x 2 1 y 2 ), if x + y < 0

 1 2 2
–1
cos  xy  1  x 1  y ,
–1
if x  0, y  0, x  y
(iii) cos x – cos y = 
 cos 1 xy  1  x 2 1  y 2 , if x  0, y  0 x  y
  

 xy 
(iv) tan–1x + tan–1y = tan–1  1  xy  if x, y > 0 and xy < 1
 

 xy 
=  + tan–1  1  xy  if x, y > 0 and xy > 1
 

 xy 
tan–1 x – tan–1 y = tan–1  1  xy  if x, y > 0
 

 x  y  z  xyz 
(v) tan–1x + tan–1y + tan–1z = tan–1  1  xy  yz  zx 
 

SOME IMPORTANT RESULTS

(vi) 2sin–1 x = sin–1 2x 1 x 2

(vii) 2 cos–1 x = cos–1 (2x2 – 1)

2x 2x 1 x2
(viii) 2 tan–1 x = tan–1  sin 1  cos 1
1 x2 1 x2 1 x2
(ix) 3 sin–1 x = sin–1 (3x – 4x3)
(x) 3 cos–1 x = cos–1 (4x3 – 3x)

3x  x 3
(xi) 3 tan–1 x = tan–1
1  3x 2
[4] Inverse Trigonometric Function

MISCELLENEOUS RESULTS

 x  x
(i) tan 1    sin 1  
 a 2  x 2  a

 3a 2 x  x 3  x
(ii) tan 1  2 2 
 3 tan 1  
 a(a  3 x )  a

 1 x2  1 x2   1
1    cos 1 x 2
(iii) tan  2 2  4 2
1 x  1 x
 

 x   1  x2   1 
  cos ec 1 1 
(iv) sin–1(x) = cos–1  
1  x 2  tan1 
2
 1 x 
  cot
1


 x
  sec 1



 1 x
2 
 x

 2     
–1 –1  1  x 2   tan 1 1  x   cot 1 x   sec 1 1   cos ec 1 1 
(v) cos x = sin    
  x  2  x  2 
   1 x   1 x 

 x   1  1  1 
 1  x2 
–1
(vi) tan x = sin –1  2
 1 x 
1
  cos  2
 1 x 
  cot    sec
x
1
 
1  x 2  cos ec 1 

 x




GRAPHS

1 LM   OP
(1) y = sin x,| x|  1, y  
N ,
2 2 Q

(2) y = cos1 x,| x|  1, y  0, 

FG   IJ
H K
1
(3) y = tan x, x  R , y   ,
2 2
Inverse Trigonometric Function [5]

b g
(4) y = cot 1 x, x  R , y  0, 

LM  IJ UFG  , OP
N 2K H 2 Q
1
(5) y = sec x.| x|  1. y  0,

LM  IJ FG OP

K H Q
, 0 U 0,
1
(6) y = cos ec x, | x|  1, y  
N 2 2

  
(i) y  sin 1 (sin x)  x, x  R, y    ,  , y is periodic with period 2
 2 2

(ii) y = sin(sin-1 x) = x, x [ 1, 1] , y [ 1, 1]

[6] Inverse Trigonometric Function

(i) y = cos-1(cos x) = x, x  R , y [0,  ] , y is periodic with period 2

(ii) y = cos(cos-1 x) = x, x [ 1, 1] , y [ 1, 1]

     
4.3 (i) y = tan-1(tan x) = x, x  R  (2n  1) n  I  , y    ,  , y is periodic with period 
 2   2 2

(ii) y = tan(tan-1 x) = x, x  R, y  R

(i) l q b g
y = cot-1(cot x) = x , x  R  n , y  0,  , periodic with 
Inverse Trigonometric Function [7]

(ii) y = cot(cot-1 x) = x , x  R , y  R

    
(i) y = cosec-1(cosec x) = x, x  R  n, n  I , y    , 0    0,  , y is periodic with period 2
 2   2

(ii) y = cosec(cosec-1 x) = x, | x |  1, | y |  1

RS  UV LM IJ FG
  OP
(i) y = sec-1(sec x) = x, x  R  ( 2 n  1)
T 2 W
n  I , y  0,
N K H
2
U ,  , y is periodic with period 2
2 Q

(ii) y = sec(sec-1 x) = x, | x|  1; | y|  1