Certain combinations of the exponential functions ex and e–x arise so frequently in mathematics and its applications that they deserve to be given special names. In many ways they are analogous to the trigonometric functions, and they have the same relationship to the hyperbola that the trigonometric functions have to the circle. | SECTION HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS P INVERSE FUNCTIONS Certain combinations of the exponential functions ex and e–x arise so frequently in mathematics and its applications that they deserve to be given special names. In many ways they are analogous to the trigonometric functions, and they have the same relationship to the hyperbola that the trigonometric functions have to the circle. For this reason they are collectively called hyperbolic functions and individually called hyperbolic sine, hyperbolic cosine, and so on. P DEFINITION OF THE HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS The graphs of hyperbolic sine and cosine can be sketched using graphical addition, as in Figures 1 and 2. P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS Note that sinh has domain and range , whereas cosh has domain and range . P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS The graph of tanh is shown in Figure 3. It has the horizontal asymptotes y = ±1. P APPLICATIONS Applications of hyperbolic functions to science and engineering occur whenever an entity such as light, velocity, electricity, or radioactivity is gradually absorbed or extinguished, for the decay can be represented by hyperbolic functions. P APPLICATIONS The most famous application is the use of hyperbolic cosine to describe the shape of a hanging wire. P APPLICATIONS It can be proved that, if a heavy flexible cable is suspended between two points at the same height, it takes the shape of a curve with equation y = c + a cosh(x/a) called a catenary. See Figure 4. The Latin word catena means ‘‘chain.’’ P HYPERBOLIC IDENTITIES The hyperbolic functions satisfy a number of identities that are similar to well-known trigonometric identities. P HYPERBOLIC IDENTITIES P Example 1 Prove (a) cosh2x – sinh2x = 1 (b) 1 – tanh2x = sech2x SOLUTION (a) P Example 1(b) SOLUTION We start with the identity proved in (a) cosh2x – sinh2x = 1 If we divide both sides by cosh2x, we get: P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS The identity proved in Example 1(a) gives a clue to the reason for the name ‘hyperbolic’ functions, as follows: P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS If t is any real number, then the point P (cos t, sin t) lies on the unit circle x2 + y2 = 1 because cos2 t + sin2 t = 1. In fact, t can be interpreted as the radian measure of in Figure 5. For this reason, the trigonometric functions are sometimes called circular functions. P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS Likewise, if t is any real number, then the point P(cosh t, sinh t) lies on the right branch of the hyperbola x2 – y2 = 1 because cosh2 t – sin2 t = 1 and cosh t ≥ 1. This time, t does not represent the measure of an angle. P HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS However, it turns out that t represents twice the area of the shaded hyperbolic sector in Figure 6. This is just as in the trigonometric case t represents twice the area of the shaded circular sector in Figure 5. P DERIVATIVES OF HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS The derivatives of the hyperbolic functions are easily computed. For example, P DERIVATIVES OF HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS We list the differentiation formulas for the hyperbolic functions as Table 1. P DERIVATIVES OF HYPERBOLIC FUNCTIONS Note the analogy with the differentiation formulas for trigonometric functions. However, beware that the signs are different in some cases. P Example 2 Any of these differentiation rules can be combined with the Chain Rule. SOLUTION For instance,
