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by
Stefan Waner and Steven R. Costenoble
Cosine
Let us go back to the bicycle introduced in the preceding section, and recall that the sine
of t, sin t, was defined as the y-coordinate of a marker on the wheel. The cosine of t,
denoted by cos t, is defined in almost the same way, except that this time, we use the x-
coordinates of the marker on the wheel. (See the figure.)
sin2t + cos2t = 1,
ant so we have found a relationship between the sine and cosine function.
Let us now turn attention to the graph of the cosine function. The graph, as you might
expect, is almost identical to that of the sine function, except for a "phase shift" (see the
figure).
The cosine curve is obtained from the sine curve by shifting it to the left a distance of /2.
Conversely, we can obtain the sine curve from the cosine curve by shifting it /2 units to
the right.
Alternative formulation
We can also obtain the cosine curve by first inverting the sine curve vertically (replace t by
t) and then shifting to the right a distance of /2. This gives us two alternative formulas
(which are easier to remember)
cos t = sin( /2 t)
sin t = cos( /2 t)
Question
Since we can model the cosine function with a sine function, who needs the cosine
function anyway?
Answer
Technically, that is correct; we don't need the cosine function and we can get by with the
sine function by itself. On the other hand, it is convenient to have the cosine function
around, since it starts at its highest point, rather than zero.
Note that the basepoint is at the higher point of the curve. All the constants have the same
meaning as for the general sine curve:
The annual cash flow into stock funds (measured as a percentage of total assets) has
fluctuated in cycles of approximately 40 years since 1955, when it was at a high point.
The highs were roughly +15% of total assets, while lows were roughly 10% of total
assets.*
(a) Model this cash flow with a cosine function of the time t in years with t = 0
representing 1955.
(b) Convert the answer in part (a) to a sine function model.
* Source: Investment Company Institute/The New York Times, February 2, 1997. p. F8.
Solution
(a) Cosine modeling is similar to sine modeling: We are seeking a function of the form
P(t) = A cos[ (t )] + C.
Period P:
This is given as P = 40.
Angular Frequency :
This is given by the formula
Phase Shift :
The basepoint is at the high point of the curve, and we are told that cash flow was at its
high at t = 0. Therefore, the basepoint occurs at t = 0, and so = 0.
P(t) = A cos[ (t )] + C
= 12.5cos(0.157t) + 2.5,
(b) To convert between a sine and cosine model, we can use the relations given above.
Here, let us use the formula
Therefore,
As we said above, we can take ratios and reciprocals of sine and cosine to obtain four
new functions. Here they are.
Tangent, Cotangent, Secant, and Cosecant
sin x
tan x = tangent
cos x
cos x 1
cotan x = = cotangent
sin x tan x
1
sec x = secant
cos x
1
cosec x = cosecant
sin x
Example 2
Solution
Since
sec x = 1/cos x,
Y1 = 1/cos(x).
To set the window, let us use 2 x 2 , and 7 y 7. Here is the graph we obtain.
Question
What are the vertical lines doing here?
Answer
Since we defined the secant function as sec x = 1/cos x, we know that it is not defined
when the denominator is zero. That is, when
cos x = 0.
Consulting the graph of cos x, we find that this occurs when x = ± /2, ±3 /2, ±5 /2,...
Therefore, these values are not in the domain of the secant function. Further, as x
approaches these values, sec x becomes very large numerically, but changes sign when
we cross these values, causing the graphing calculator to make sudden jumps from large
negative values of y to large positive values. Thus, the vertical lines are asymptotes.
If you have studied the section on limits in Chapter 3 of Calculus Applied to the Real
World, or Chapter 10 of Finite Mathematics and Calculus Applied to the Real World, you
will recognize this phenomenon in terms of limits; For instance,
x /2 sec x =
x /2+ sec x =
Before we go on...
Here are the graphs of all four of these functions. You might try to reproduce them and
think about the asymptotes
cosec x = 1/sin x
Let us go back to the figure that defines the sine and cosine, but this time, let us think of
these two quantities as lengths of sides of a right triangle:
We are also thinking of the quantity t as a measure of the angle shown rather than the
length of an arc. Looking at the figure, we find that
opposite
sin t = y-coordinate of point P sin t =
hypotenuse
adjacent
cos t = x-coordinate of point P cos t =
hypotenuse
sin t opposite
tan t = tan t =
cos t adjacent
cos t adjacent
cotan t = cotan t =
sin t opposite
1 hypotenuse
sec t = sec t =
cos t adjacent
1 hypotenuse
cosec t = cosec t =
sin t opposite
1.
Modeling 3. Derivatives of Trigonometric "Real
Section 2
with the Trigonometric Functions Main World"
Exercises
Sine Functions Page Page
Function
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