Principal Values
Since none of the six trigonometric functions are one-to-one, they are restricted in order to have inverse functions. Therefore the ranges of the inverse functions are proper subsets of the domains of the original functions
For example, using function in the sense of multivalued functions, just as the square root function could be defined from that y2 = x, the function y = arcsin(x) is defined so that sin(y) = x. There are multiple numbers y such that sin(y) = x; for example, sin(0) = 0, but also sin(π) = 0, sin(2π) = 0, etc. It follows that the arcsine function is multivalued: arcsin(0) = 0, but also arcsin(0) = π, arcsin(0) = 2π, etc. When only one value is desired, the function may be restricted to its principal branch. With this restriction, for each x in the domain the expression arcsin(x) will evaluate only to a single value, called its principal value. These properties apply to all the inverse trigonometric functions.
The principal inverses are listed in the following table.
| Name | Usual notation | Definition | Domain of x for real result | Range of usual principal value (radians) |
Range of usual principal value (degrees) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| arcsine | y = arcsin x | x = sin y | −1 ≤ x ≤ 1 | −π/2 ≤ y ≤ π/2 | −90° ≤ y ≤ 90° |
| arccosine | y = arccos x | x = cos y | −1 ≤ x ≤ 1 | 0 ≤ y ≤ π | 0° ≤ y ≤ 180° |
| arctangent | y = arctan x | x = tan y | all real numbers | −π/2 < y < π/2 | −90° < y < 90° |
| arccotangent | y = arccot x | x = cot y | all real numbers | 0 < y < π | 0° < y < 180° |
| arcsecant | y = arcsec x | x = sec y | x ≤ −1 or 1 ≤ x | 0 ≤ y < π/2 or π/2 < y ≤ π | 0° ≤ y < 90° or 90° < y ≤ 180° |
| arccosecant | y = arccsc x | x = csc y | x ≤ −1 or 1 ≤ x | −π/2 ≤ y < 0 or 0 < y ≤ π/2 | -90° ≤ y < 0° or 0° < y ≤ 90° |
If x is allowed to be a complex number, then the range of y applies only to its real part.
Read more about this topic: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
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