Section 7.
3, Some Trigonometric Integrals
Homework: 7.3 #1–31 odds
We will look at five commonly encountered types of trigonometric integrals:
1. sinn x dx and cosn x dx
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2. sinm x cosn x dx
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3. sin mx cos nx dx, sin mx sin nx dx, and cos mx cos nx dx
4. tann x dx and cotn x dx
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5. tanm x secn dx and cotm x cscn x dx
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We will demonstrate how to calculate these by example. Throughout this section, we will be using
many trigonometric identities, including:
sin2 x + cos2 x = 1
1 + tan2 x = sec2 x
1 + cot2 x = csc2 x
1 − cos 2x
sin2 x =
2
1 + cos 2x
cos2 x =
2
1
sin mx cos nx = sin(m + n)x + sin(m − n)x
2
1
sin mx sin nx = − cos(m + n)x − cos(m − n)x
2
1
cos mx cos nx = cos(m + n)x + cos(m − n)x
2
sinn x dx and
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1 Integrals of the form cosn x dx
We will look at examples when n is odd and when n is even. When n is odd, we will use sin2 x +
cos2 x = 1. When n is even, we will use either sin2 x = 1−cos
2
2x
or cos2 x = 1+cos
2
2x
.
Examples
1. Find cos5 x dx.
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We will use the identity cos2 x = 1 − sin2 x, so we will substitute cos4 x = (1 − sin2 x)2 .
Z Z
cos5 x dx = (1 − sin2 x)2 cos x dx
Z
1 − 2 sin2 x + sin4 x cos x dx
=
Z
cos x − 2 sin2 x cos x + sin4 x cos x dx
=
2 1
= sin x − sin3 x + sin5 x + C
3 5
2. Find sin4 x dx
R
We will start by using sin2 x = 1−cos 2x
2 .
Z 2
1 − cos 2x
Z
4
sin x dx = dx
2
Z
1
1 − 2 cos 2x + cos2 2x dx
=
4
Z Z Z
1 1 1
= dx − cos 2x dx + cos2 2x dx
4 2 4
Z
x 1 1 1 + cos 4x
= − sin 2x + dx
4 4 4 2
x 1 x 1
= − sin 2x + + sin 4x + C
4 4 8 32
3x 1 1
= − sin 2x + sin 4x + C,
8 4 32
1+cos 2x
where we also used that cos2 x = 2 in the third-to-last line.
sinm x cosn x dx
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2 Integrals of the form
If either m or n is an odd positive integer, we will use the identity sin2 x + cos2 x = 1. If both m
and n are even and positive, we will use the half-angle identities.
Examples
1. Find cos5 x sin−4 x dx
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Since the exponent for cosine is odd, we will replace cos4 x by (1−sin2 x)2 = 1−2 sin2 x+sin4 x:
Z Z
cos x sin x dx = cos x(1 − 2 sin2 x + sin4 x) sin−4 x dx
5 −4
Z Z Z
= cos x sin−4 x dx − 2 cos x sin−2 x dx + cos x dx
1
= − (sin x)−3 + 2(sin x)−1 + sin x + C
3
(Be careful with notation, since sin−1 x refers to the inverse sine function, not 1/(sin x).)
2. Find cos2 x sin4 x dx.
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2
2 1+cos 2x 4 1−cos 2x
We will substitute cos x = 2 and sin x = 2 . Then,
2
1 + cos 2x 1 − cos 2x
Z Z
cos2 x sin4 x dx = dx
2 2
Z
1
= (1 + cos 2x)(1 − 2 cos 2x + cos2 2x) dx
8
Z
1
= (1 − cos 2x − cos2 2x + cos3 2x) dx
8
Z Z Z Z
1 1 1 2 1
= dx − cos 2x dx − cos 2x dx + cos3 2x dx
8 8 8 8
Z Z
x 1 1 1 + cos 4x 1
= − sin 2x − dx + cos 2x(1 − sin2 2x) dx
8 16 8 2 8
x 1 x 1 1 1
= − sin 2x − − sin 4x + sin 2x − sin3 2x + C
8 16 16 64 16 48
x 1 1
= − sin 4x − sin3 2x + C
16 64 48
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3 RIntegrals of the form sin mx cos nx dx, sin mx sin nx dx, and
cos mx cos nx dx
1
Here, we will use the identities sin mx cos nx = 2 sin(m + n)x + sin(m − n)x , sin mx sin nx =
1 1
− 2 cos(m + n)x − cos(m − n)x , and cos mx cos nx = 2 cos(m + n)x + cos(m − n)x .
Examples
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1. Find sin 4x cos 5x dx
Since sin mx cos nx = 21 sin(m + n)x + sin(m − n)x , we will use this with m = 4 and n = 5:
Z Z
1
sin 4x cos 5x dx = sin 9x + sin(−x) dx
2
1 1
= − cos 9x + cos x + C,
18 2
where we used that cos(−x) = cos x.
Rπ
2. Find −π sin mx sin nx dx, where m and n are positive integers.
First, consider m 6= n. Then,
Z π
1 π
Z
sin mx sin nx dx = − cos(m + n)x − cos(m − n)x dx
−π 2 −π
π
1 1 1
=− sin(m + n)x − sin(m − n)
2 m+n m−n −π
=0
If m = n, then
Z π
1 π
Z
sin mx sin nx dx = − cos(2m)x − 1 dx
−π 2 −π
π
1 1
=− sin(2m)x − x
2 2m −π
=π
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4 Integrals of the form tann x dx and cotn x dx
In the tangent case, we will use tan2 x = sec2 x − 1. In the cotangent case, we will use cot2 x =
csc2 x − 1. Here, we will only replace tan2 x or cot2 x, distribute, integrate what we can, then repeat
as necessary.
Examples
tan4 x dx
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1. Find
Z Z
tan4 x dx = tan2 x(sec2 x − 1) dx
Z Z
= tan x sec x dx − tan2 x dx
2 2
Z
1
= tan3 x − (sec2 x − 1) dx
3
1
= tan3 x − tan x + x + C
3
cot5 x dx
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2. Find
Z Z
cot5 x dx = cot3 x(csc2 x − 1) dx
Z Z
= cot x csc x − cot3 x dx
3 2
Z
1
= − cot4 x − cot x(csc2 x − 1) dx
4
Z Z
1 cos x
= − cot4 x − cot x csc2 x dx + dx
4 sin x
1 1
= − cot4 x + cot2 x + ln | sin x| + C
4 2
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5 Integrals of the form tanm x secn dx and cotm x cscn x dx
If n is even, use either sec2 x = tan2 x + 1 or csc2 x = cot2 x + 1 to replace all but 2 powers of sec x
or csc x, then you can use a u-substitution to integrate.
If m is odd, we will use that the derivative of sec x is sec x tan x (or the derivative of csc x is
− csc x cot x), and replace m − 1 powers of either tangent or cotangent using a Pythagorean identity.
Examples
tan1/2 x sec4 x dx
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1. Find
Z Z
tan1/2 x sec4 x dx = tan1/2 x(tan2 +1) sec2 x dx
Z Z
= tan5/2 x sec2 x dx + tan1/2 x sec2 x dx
2 2
= tan7/2 x + tan3/2 x + C
7 3
cot3 x csc3/2 x dx
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2. Find
Z Z
cot3 x csc3/2 x dx = cot x(csc2 x − 1) csc3/2 x dx
Z Z
= cot x csc x csc5/2 x dx − cot x csc x csc1/2 x dx
2 2
= − csc7/2 x + csc3/2 +C
7 3
