1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG.

SUBSTITUTIONS 26
1.6. Trigonometric Integrals and Trigonometric
Substitutions
1.6.1. Trigonometric Integrals. Here we discuss integrals of pow-
ers of trigonometric functions. To that end the following half-angle
identities will be useful:
sin
2
x =
1
2
(1 cos 2x) ,
cos
2
x =
1
2
(1 + cos 2x) .
Remember also the identities:
sin
2
x + cos
2
x = 1 ,
sec
2
x = 1 + tan
2
x.
1.6.1.1. Integrals of Products of Sines and Cosines. We will study
now integrals of the form
_
sin
m
xcos
n
xdx,
including cases in which m = 0 or n = 0, i.e.:
_
cos
n
xdx;
_
sin
m
xdx.
The simplest case is when either n = 1 or m = 1, in which case the
substitution u = sin x or u = cos x respectively will work.
Example:
_
sin
4
xcos xdx =
(u = sin x, du = cos xdx)
=
_
u
4
du =
u
5
5
+ C =
sin
5
x
5
+ C .
More generally if at least one exponent is odd then we can use the
identity sin
2
x+cos
2
x = 1 to transform the integrand into an expression
containing only one sine or one cosine.
1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG. SUBSTITUTIONS 27
Example:
_
sin
2
xcos
3
xdx =
_
sin
2
xcos
2
xcos xdx
=
_
sin
2
x(1 sin
2
x) cos xdx =
(u = sin x, du = cos xdx)
=
_
u
2
(1 u
2
) du =
_
(u
2
u
4
) du
=
u
3
3

u
5
5
+ C
=
sin
3
x
3

sin
5
x
5
+ C .
If all the exponents are even then we use the half-angle identities.
Example:
_
sin
2
xcos
2
xdx =
_
1
2
(1 cos 2x)
1
2
(1 + cos 2x) dx
=
1
4
_
(1 cos
2
2x) dx
=
1
4
_
(1
1
2
(1 + cos 4x)) dx
=
1
8
_
(1 cos 4x) dx
=
x
8

sin 4x
32
+ C .
1.6.1.2. Integrals of Secants and Tangents. The integral of tan x
can be computed in the following way:
_
tan xdx =
_
sin x
cos x
dx =
_
du
u
= ln |u| + C = ln | cos x| + C ,
where u = cos x. Analogously
_
cot xdx =
_
cos x
sin x
dx =
_
du
u
= ln |u| + C = ln | sin x| + C ,
where u = sin x.
1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG. SUBSTITUTIONS 28
The integral of sec x is a little tricky:
_
sec xdx =
_
sec x(tan x + sec x)
sec x + tan x
dx =
_
sec x tan x + sec
2
x
sec x + tan x
dx =
_
du
u
= ln |u| + C = ln | sec x + tan x| + C ,
where u = sec x + tan x, du = (sec xtan x + sec
2
x) dx.
Analogously:
_
csc xdx = ln | csc x + cot x| + C .
More generally an integral of the form
_
tan
m
xsec
n
xdx
can be computed in the following way:
(1) If m is odd, use u = sec x, du = sec xtan xdx.
(2) If n is even, use u = tan x, du = sec
2
xdx.
Example:
_
tan
3
xsec
2
xdx =
Since in this case m is odd and n is even it does not matter which
method we use, so lets use the rst one:
(u = sec x, du = sec xtan xdx)
=
_
tan
2
x
. .
u
2
1
sec x
. .
u
tan xsec xdx
. .
du
=
_
(u
2
1)udu
=
_
(u
3
u) du
=
u
4
4

u
2
2
+ C
=
1
4
sec
4
x
1
2
sec
2
x + C .
Next lets solve the same problem using the second method:
1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG. SUBSTITUTIONS 29
(u = tan x, du = sec
2
xdx)
_
tan
3
x
. .
u
3
sec
2
xdx
. .
du
=
_
u
3
du =
u
4
4
+ C =
1
4
tan
4
x + C .
Although this answer looks dierent from the one obtained using the
rst method it is in fact equivalent to it because they dier in a con-
stant:
1
4
tan
4
x =
1
4
(sec
2
x 1)
2
=
1
4
sec
4
x
1
2
sec
2
x
. .
previous answer
+
1
4
.
1.6.2. Trigonometric Substitutions. Here we study substitu-
tions of the form x = some trigonometric function.
Example: Find
_

1 x
2
dx.
Answer: We make x = sin t, dx = cos t dt, hence

1 x
2
=
_
1 sin
2
t =

cos
2
t = cos t ,
and
_

1 x
2
dx =
_
cos t cos t dt
=
_
cos
2
t dt
=
_
1
2
(1 + cos 2t) dt (half-angle identity)
=
t
2
+
sin 2t
4
+ C
=
t
2
+
2 sin t cos t
4
+ C (double-angle identity)
=
t
2
+
sin t
_
1 sin
2
t
2
+ C
=
sin
1
x
2
+
x

1 x
2
2
+ C .
The following substitutions are useful in integrals containing the
following expressions:
1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG. SUBSTITUTIONS 30
expression substitution identity
a
2
u
2
u = a sin t 1 sin
2
t = cos
2
t
a
2
+ u
2
u = a tan t 1 + tan
2
t = sec
2
t
u
2
a
2
u = a sec t sec
2
t 1 = tan
2
t
So for instance, if an integral contains the expression a
2
u
2
, we may
try the substitution u = a sin t and use the identity 1 sin
2
t = cos
2
t
in order to transform the original expression in this way:
a
2
u
2
= a
2
(1 sin
2
t) = a
2
cos
2
t .
Example:
_
x
3

9 x
2
dx = 27
_
sin
3
t cos t
_
1 sin
2
t
dt (x = 3 sin t)
= 27
_
sin
3
t dx
= 27
_
(1 cos
2
t) sin t dx
= 27
_
cos t +
cos
3
t
3
_
+ C
= 27
_

_
1 sin
2
t +
1
3
(1 sin
2
t)
3/2
_
+ C
= 9

9 x
2
+
1
3
(9 x
2
)
3/2
+ C .
where x = 3 sin t, dx = 3 cos t dt.
1.6. TRIGONOMETRIC INTEGRALS AND TRIG. SUBSTITUTIONS 31
Example:
_

9 + 4x
2
dx = 2
_
_
9
4
+ x
2
dx (x =
3
2
tan t)
= 2
_
3
2
_
1 + tan
2
t
3
2
sec
2
t dt
=
9
2
_
sec
3
t dt
=
9
4
(sec t tan t + ln | sec t + tan t|) + C
1
=
9
4
_
2
3
x
_
1 +
4
9
x
2
+ ln

2
3
x +
_
1 +
4
9
x
2

_
+ C
1
=
x

9 + 4x
2
2
+
9
4
ln |2x +

9 + 4x
2
| + C .
where x =
3
2
tan t, dx =
3
2
sec
2
t dt
Example:
_

x
2
1
x
dx =
_

sec
2
t 1
sec t
sec t tan t dt (x = sec t)
=
_
tan
2
t dt
= tan t t + C
=

sec
2
t 1 t + C
=

x
2
1 sec
1
x + C .
where x = sec t, dx = sec t tan t dt.