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# Trigonometric substitution

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 Title: Trigonometric substitution Author: World Heritage Encyclopedia Language: English Subject: Collection: Publisher: World Heritage Encyclopedia Publication Date:

### Trigonometric substitution

In mathematics, Trigonometric substitution is the substitution of trigonometric functions for other expressions. One may use the trigonometric identities to simplify certain integrals containing radical expressions:[1][2]

Substitution 1. If the integrand contains a2 − x2, let
x = a \sin(\theta)
and use the identity
1-\sin^2(\theta) = \cos^2(\theta).
Substitution 2. If the integrand contains a2 + x2, let
x = a \tan(\theta)

and use the identity

1+\tan^2(\theta) = \sec^2(\theta).
Substitution 3. If the integrand contains x2 − a2, let
x = a \sec(\theta)

and use the identity

\sec^2(\theta)-1 = \tan^2(\theta).

## Contents

• Examples 1
• Integrals containing a2 − x2 1.1
• Integrals containing a2 + x2 1.2
• Integrals containing x2 − a2 1.3
• Substitutions that eliminate trigonometric functions 2
• Hyperbolic substitution 3
• See also 4
• References 5

## Examples

### Integrals containing a2 − x2

In the integral

\int\frac{\mathrm dx}{\sqrt{a^2-x^2}}

we may use

x=a\sin(\theta),\quad \mathrm dx=a\cos(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta, \quad \theta=\arcsin\left(\frac{x}{a}\right)
\begin{align} \int\frac{\mathrm dx}{\sqrt{a^2-x^2}} & = \int\frac{a\cos(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta}{\sqrt{a^2-a^2\sin^2(\theta)}} \\ &= \int\frac{a\cos(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta}{\sqrt{a^2(1-\sin^2(\theta))}} \\ &= \int\frac{a\cos(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta}{\sqrt{a^2\cos^2(\theta)}} \\ &= \int \mathrm d\theta \\ &= \theta+C \\ &= \arcsin \left(\tfrac{x}{a}\right)+C \end{align}

Note that the above step requires that a > 0 and cos(θ) > 0; we can choose the a to be the positive square root of a2; and we impose the restriction on θ to be −π/2 < θ < π/2 by using the arcsin function.

For a definite integral, one must figure out how the bounds of integration change. For example, as x goes from 0 to a/2, then sin(θ) goes from 0 to 1/2, so θ goes from 0 to π/6. Then we have

\int_0^{\frac{a}{2}}\frac{\mathrm dx}{\sqrt{a^2-x^2}}=\int_0^{\frac{\pi}{6}} \mathrm d\theta = \tfrac{\pi}{6}.

Some care is needed when picking the bounds. The integration above requires that −π/2 < θ < π/2, so θ going from 0 to π/6 is the only choice. If we had missed this restriction, we might have picked θ to go from π to 5π/6, which would give us the negative of the result.

### Integrals containing a2 + x2

In the integral

\int\frac{\mathrm dx}

we may write

x=a\tan(\theta),\quad \mathrm dx=a\sec^2(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta, \quad \theta=\arctan\left(\tfrac{x}{a}\right)

so that the integral becomes

\begin{align} \int\frac{\mathrm dx} &= \int\frac{a\sec^2(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta} \\ &= \int\frac{a\sec^2(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta} \\ &= \int \frac{a\sec^2(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta} \\ &= \int \frac{\mathrm d\theta}{a} \\ &= \tfrac{\theta}{a}+C \\ &= \tfrac{1}{a} \arctan \left(\tfrac{x}{a}\right)+C \end{align}

(provided a ≠ 0).

### Integrals containing x2 − a2

Integrals like

\int\frac{\mathrm dx}{x^2 - a^2}

should be done by partial fractions rather than trigonometric substitutions. However, the integral

\int\sqrt{x^2 - a^2}\,\mathrm dx

can be done by substitution:

x = a \sec(\theta),\quad \mathrm dx = a \sec(\theta)\tan(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta, \quad \theta = \arcsec\left(\tfrac{x}{a}\right)
\begin{align} \int\sqrt{x^2 - a^2}\,\mathrm dx &= \int\sqrt{a^2 \sec^2(\theta) - a^2} \cdot a \sec(\theta)\tan(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta \\ &= \int\sqrt{a^2 (\sec^2(\theta) - 1)} \cdot a \sec(\theta)\tan(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta \\ &= \int\sqrt{a^2 \tan^2(\theta)} \cdot a \sec(\theta)\tan(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta \\ &= \int a^2 \sec(\theta)\tan^2(\theta)\,\mathrm d\theta \\ &= a^2 \int \sec(\theta)(\sec^2(\theta) - 1)\,\mathrm d\theta \\ &= a^2 \int (\sec^3(\theta) - \sec(\theta))\,\mathrm d\theta. \end{align}

We can then solve this using the formula for the integral of secant cubed.

## Substitutions that eliminate trigonometric functions

Substitution can be used to remove trigonometric functions. In particular, see Tangent half-angle substitution.

For instance,

\begin{align} \int f(\sin(x), \cos(x))\,\mathrm dx &=\int\frac1{\pm\sqrt{1-u^2}} f\left(u,\pm\sqrt{1-u^2}\right)\,\mathrm du && u=\sin (x) \\ \int f(\sin(x), \cos(x))\,\mathrm dx &=\int\frac{1}{\mp\sqrt{1-u^2}} f\left(\pm\sqrt{1-u^2},u\right)\,\mathrm du && u=\cos (x) \\ \int f(\sin(x), \cos(x))\,\mathrm dx &=\int\frac2{1+u^2} f \left(\frac{2u}{1+u^2},\frac{1-u^2}{1+u^2}\right)\,\mathrm du && u=\tan\left (\tfrac{x}{2} \right ) \\ \int\frac{\cos x}{(1+\cos x)^3}\,\mathrm dx &= \int\frac2{1+u^2}\frac{\frac{1-u^2}{1+u^2}}{\left(1+\frac{1-u^2}{1+u^2}\right)^3}\,\mathrm du = \int \frac{1-u^2}{1+u^2}\,\mathrm du \end{align}

## Hyperbolic substitution

Substitutions of hyperbolic functions can also be used to simplify integrals.[3]

In the integral \int \frac{1}{\sqrt{a^2+x^2}}\,\mathrm dx, make the substitution x=a\sinh{u}, \mathrm dx=a\cosh{u}\,\mathrm du.

Then, using the identities \cosh^2 (x) - \sinh^2 (x) = 1 and \sinh^{-1}{x} = \ln(x + \sqrt{x^2 + 1}),

\begin{align} \int \frac{1}{\sqrt{a^2+x^2}}\,\mathrm dx &= \int \frac{a\cosh{u}}{\sqrt{a^2+a^2\sinh^2{u}}}\,\mathrm du\\ &=\int \frac{a\cosh{u}}{a\sqrt{1+\sinh^2{u}}}\,\mathrm du\\ &=\int \frac{a\cosh{u}}{a\cosh{u}}\,\mathrm du\\ &=u+C\\ &=\sinh^{-1}{\frac{x}{a}}+C\\ &=\ln\left(\sqrt{\frac{x^2}{a^2} + 1} + \frac{x}{a}\right) + C\\ &=\ln\left(\frac{\sqrt{x^2+a^2} + x}{a}\right) + C \end{align}

## References

1. ^
2. ^
3. ^ Boyadzhiev, Khristo N. "Hyperbolic Substitutions for Integrals" (PDF). Retrieved 4 March 2013.
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