Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

TOPIC:
DIFFERENTIATION – Inverse
Trigonometric Functions

Group No.5
Members:
Filomeno, Kyle G.
Jaring, Jade Veronique S.
Maglaqui, Jed Tristan M.
Rodriguez, Andrae Gabriel D.

Submitted to:
Engr. Gilmark P. Repulda
Instructor

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 Preface

Inverse trigonometric functions are applied in solving complex

real-life problems whereby direct measurement is impossible. These

functions have an application that can determine the angle measure from

the given ratio by performing the inverse of the usual trigonometric

functions are extensively applied in engineering, physics, navigation,

and many other fields of applications.

The development of these functions, which has taken centuries,

was made possible by people like John Herschel who gave the study of

trigonometric functions its mathematical framework. Ever since the

introduction of these functions, there has been considerable improvement

in their use both in terms of notation and project.

This document will explore on the origin, definition, and a brief history

of inverse trigonometric differentiation with the aim of exposing their

geometric and analytic aspects.

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 Introduction

In everyday life, indirect measurement is used to obtain solutions

to problems that are impossible to solve using measurement tools.

Trigonometry helps us to find measurements like heights of mountains and

tall buildings without using measurement tools. Trigonometric functions

and their inverse trigonometric functions are widely used in engineering

and in other sciences including physics.

Definition

Inverse trigonometric functions are defined as the inverse

functions of the basic trigonometric functions, which are sine, cosine,

tangent, cotangent, secant and cosecant functions. They are also termed

arcus functions, antitrigonometric functions or cyclometric functions.

These inverse functions in trigonometry are used to get the angle with

any of the trigonometry ratios. The inverse trigonometry functions have

major applications in the field of engineering, physics, geometry and

navigation.

Historical Background

According to Cajori (vol. 2, page 176) the inverse trigonometric

function notation utilizing the exponent -1 was introduced by John

Frederick William Herschel in 1813 in the Philosophical Transactions of

London. A full-page footnote explained his choice of notation for the

inverse trigonometric functions, such as cos.-1 e, which he used in the

body of the article (Cajori vol. 2, page 176).

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 However, according to Differential and Integral Calculus (1908)

by Daniel A. Murray, “this notation was explained in England first by

J. F. W. Herschel in 1813, and at an earlier date in Germany by an

analyst named Burmann. See Herschel, A Collection of Examples of the

Application of the Calculus of Finite Differences (Cambridge, 1820),

page 5, note.”

In 1922 in Introduction to the Calculus, William F. Osgood wrote,

“The usual notation on the Continent for sin -1(x), tan-1(x), etc., is

arcsin(x), arctan(x), etc. It is clumsy, and is followed for a purely

academic reason; namely, that sin-1(x) might be misunderstood as meaning

the minus first power of sin(x). It is seldom that one has occasion to

write the reciprocal of sin(x) in terms of a negative exponent. When one

wishes to do so, all ambiguity can be avoided by writing (sin x) -1.”

Concept of Inverse Trigonometric Differentiation

Inverse trigonometric differentiation involves understanding how

the rates of change (derivatives) are calculated for the inverse

functions of trigonometric operations such as sine, cosine, and tangent.

In mathematics, an inverse function essentially reverses the effect of

the original function. For instance, while the sine function takes an

angle and gives the ratio of opposite to hypotenuse, the inverse sine

(arcsine) function takes the ratio and returns the corresponding angle.

Differentiation of these inverse functions focuses on finding how quickly

the angle (output) changes with respect to changes in the ratio (input).

The challenge in differentiating inverse trigonometric functions

lies in their domains and the geometric constraints they imply. Each
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trigonometric function is only invertible over specific intervals where

they are monotonic (strictly increasing or decreasing). This restriction

ensures that each input maps to a unique output, making the function

well-defined. For example, arcsine is defined only for inputs between -

1 and 1, as these are the possible values of the sine of an angle in a

right triangle.

When performing differentiation, the relationship between the

input and output of these functions often relies on the Pythagorean

identity and the geometric properties of triangles or unit circles. These

relationships allow mathematicians to describe how small changes in the

ratio affect changes in the angle, even without explicit formulas. The

derivatives often reflect the rate of change Being influenced by the

input’s distance from boundaries like ±1 for arcsine or vertical

asymptotes for arctangent. Intuitively, near these boundaries, the

output changes more dramatically for the same input change, leading to

larger derivatives. This highlights the non-linear nature of inverse

trigonometric functions.

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 Inverse Trigonometric Differentiation Formulas

Calculus requires understanding the derivatives and integrals of

various functions. Among these, inverse trigonometric functions such as
y = sin-1(x) play an important role. A natural question arises: what is
the derivative of these functions?

Finding this derivative directly can be challenging, as inverse

functions involve relationships that are not immediately intuitive.
However, since an inverse function is closely tied to its original
function, we can uncover the derivative of an inverse trigonometric
function by starting with its defining equation and using implicit
differentiation.

Let us start with finding the derivative of y = sin -1(x):

y = sin-1(x)

and its inverse:

sin(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
cos(y) = 1
𝑑𝑥

𝑑𝑦
Then, we solve for 𝑑𝑥
:

𝑑𝑦 1
𝑑𝑥
= cos⁡(𝑦)

To express cos(y) in terms of x, we can use the Phytagorean

identity sin2(y) + cos2(y) = 1. Referring to the previous
equation, sin(y) = x, therefore:

cos2(y) = 1 – sin2(y)

cos2(y) = 1 – x2

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Taking the square root on both sides:

cos(y) = ±⁡√1 − 𝑥 2

π π
The function arcsin(x) gives values of y between − 2 and 2
. In
this range, cos(y) is always non-negative (since cosine is
positive or zero for angles between -90° and 90°), therefore:

cos(y) = √1 − 𝑥 2

Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
=
𝑑𝑥 √1−𝑥 2

Therefore, the derivative of sin-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
𝑑𝑥
𝑠𝑖𝑛−1 (𝑥) = √1−𝑥 2

Figure 1: The graph of sine function (red)

and sin-1 (blue).

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Now let us start finding the derivative of y = cos-1(x):

y = cos-1(x)

and its inverse:

cos(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
-sin(y) 𝑑𝑥
= 1

𝑑𝑦
Then, we solve for 𝑑𝑥
:

𝑑𝑦 1
= −
𝑑𝑥 sin⁡(𝑦)

To express sin(y) in terms of x, we can use the Phytagorean

identity sin2(y) + cos2(y) = 1. Referring to the previous
equation, cos(y) = x, therefore:

sin2(y) = 1 – cos2(y)

sin2(y) = 1 – x2

Taking the square root on both sides:

sin(y) = ±⁡√1 − 𝑥 2

The function arccos(x) gives values of y between 0 and π. In

this range, sin(y) is always non-negative (since sine is
positive or zero for angles between 0° and 180°), therefore:

sin(y) = √1 − 𝑥 2

Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
𝑑𝑥
=⁡⁡− √1−𝑥 2

Therefore, the derivative of cos-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
cos −1 (x) =⁡−
𝑑𝑥 √1−𝑥 2

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 Figure 2: The graph of cosine function (red)
and cos-1 (blue).

Next let us start finding the derivative of y = tan-1(x):

y = tan-1(x)

and its inverse:

tan(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
sec2(y) 𝑑𝑥
= 1

𝑑𝑦
Then, we solve for 𝑑𝑥
:

𝑑𝑦 1
𝑑𝑥
= sec2(𝑦)

To express tan(y) in terms of x, we will use the Phytagorean

identity sec2(y) = 1 + tan2(y). Referring to the previous
equation, tan(y) = x, therefore:

sec2(y) = 1 – x2

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Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
𝑑𝑥
=⁡ 1−𝑥 2

Therefore, the derivative of tan-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
tan−1 (x) =⁡
𝑑𝑥 1−𝑥 2

Figure 3: The graph of tangent function (red)

and tan-1 (blue).

Next let us start finding the derivative of y = cot-1(x):

y = cot-1(x)

and its inverse:

cot(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
-csc2(y) 𝑑𝑥
= 1

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 𝑑𝑦
Then, we solve for :
𝑑𝑥

𝑑𝑦 1
= −
𝑑𝑥 𝑐𝑠𝑐 2 (𝑦)

To express tan(y) in terms of x, we will use the Phytagorean

identity csc2(y) = 1 + cot2(y). Referring to the previous
equation, cot(y) = x, therefore:

csc2(y) = 1 – x2

Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
= −⁡
𝑑𝑥 1−𝑥 2

Therefore, the derivative of cot-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
𝑑𝑥
co𝑡 −1 (x) =⁡⁡− 1−𝑥 2

Figure 4: The graph of cotangent function (red)

and cot-1 (blue).

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Now let us start with finding the derivative of y = sec-1(x):

y = sec-1(x)

and its inverse:

sec(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
sec(y)tan(y) 𝑑𝑥
= 1

𝑑𝑦
Then we solve for 𝑑𝑥
:

𝑑𝑦 1
=
𝑑𝑥 sec(y)tan(𝑦)

To express sec(y) and tan(y) in terms of x, we can refer to our

previous equation sec(y) = x. We are still left with tan(y) so
using the Phytagorean identity sec2(y) = 1 + tan2(y), we can
substitute the values:

sec2(y) – 1 = tan2(y)

x2 – 1 = tan(y)

Taking the square root on both sides:

√𝑥 2 − 1 = tan(y)

Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
=
𝑑𝑥 𝑥√𝑥 2−1

Therefore, the derivative of sec-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
𝑠𝑒𝑐 −1 (𝑥) =
𝑑𝑥 𝑥√𝑥 2−1

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 Figure 5: The graph of secant function (red)
and sec-1 (blue).

Now let us start with finding the derivative of y = csc-1(x):

y = csc-1(x)

and its inverse:

csc(y) = x

Next, we differentiate with respect to x:

𝑑𝑦
-csc(y)cot(y) 𝑑𝑥
= 1

𝑑𝑦
Then we solve for 𝑑𝑥
:

𝑑𝑦 1
𝑑𝑥
=⁡−⁡ csc(y)cot(𝑦)

To express csc(y) and cot(y) in terms of x, we can refer to our

previous equation csc(y) = x. We are still left with cor(y) so
using the Phytagorean identity csc2(y) = 1 + cot2(y), we can
substitute the values:

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 csc2(y) – 1 = cot2(y)

x2 – 1 = cot(y)

Taking the square root on both sides:

√𝑥 2 − 1 = cot(y)

Substituting this value, we get:

𝑑𝑦 1
=⁡−
𝑑𝑥 𝑥√𝑥 2−1

Therefore, the derivative of sec-1(x) with respect to x is:

𝑑 1
𝑐𝑠𝑐 −1 (𝑥) =⁡−
𝑑𝑥 𝑥√𝑥 2−1

Figure 6: The graph of cosecant function (red)

and csc-1 (blue).

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 References

Introduction – inverse trigonometric functions. BrainKart. (n.d.).

https://www.brainkart.com/article/Introduction_39137/
Admin. (2023, June 2). Inverse trigonometric functions (formulas,
Graphs & Problems). BYJUS. https://byjus.com/maths/inverse-
trigonometric-functions/
Earliest uses of symbols for trigonometric and hyperbolic functions.
Maths History. (n.d.). https://mathshistory.st-
andrews.ac.uk/Miller/mathsym/trigonometry/#:~:text=According%20to%20Ca
jori%20(vol.,trigonometric%20functions%2C%20such%20as%20cos.
Calculus I – derivatives of inverse Trig functions. (n.d.).
https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/classes/calci/diffinvtrigfcns.aspx
Inverse trig derivatives (derivatives of inverse trig functions).
Cuemath. (n.d.). https://www.cuemath.com/calculus/inverse-trig-
derivatives/
McQuillan, D., & Poodiack, R. (2014). On the Differentiation Formulae
for Sine, Tangent, and Inverse Tangent. The College Mathematics
Journal, 45(2), 140–142.
https://doi.org/10.4169/college.math.j.45.2.140

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Documentation

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