Logarithmic Forms of Inverse Hyperbolic Functions
What are the definitions of the inverse hyperbolic functions?
- ,
- ,
-
- Since coshx is a many-to-one function, its domain is restricted to x ≥ 0 when finding the inverse
- Therefore, its range is coshx ≥ 1
- So, the domain of the inverse function is x ≥ 1
- ,
- These three definitions are in the formula booklet
What are the graphs of the inverse hyperbolic functions and their key features?
- As they are inverse functions, they are reflections of their original functions in the line y=x
- Domain:
- Range:
- Domain:
- Range:
- Domain:
- Range:
How do I derive the logarithmic formulae for the inverse hyperbolic functions?
- You need to be able to derive each inverse from the definition of the original
- STEP 1
Write in terms of e
- and rearrange to
- STEP 2
Form a quadratic in terms of ey- Multiply by 2ey and rearrange
- STEP 3
Solve the quadratic and find an expression for y-
- Reject as this produces negative values as whereas
-
- The derivations of the other two formulae are similar
- For both and are well-defined for
- We choose as and it can be shown that
- For both and are well-defined for
Examiner Tip
- Be careful when working with the circular (“normal”) inverse trig functions and the inverse hyperbolic functions
- Only the “ar” denotes inverse
- The “c” in arcsin x, arccos x, arctan x indicates the circular functions
- The hyperbolic functions have “h”, but the “h” doesn’t come immediately after the “ar”: arsinh x, arcosh x, artanh x
- Be careful not to confuse these, especially when looking them up in the formulae booklet
Worked example
Starting from the definition of , show that
when .