How do you find the solutions to sin^-1x=tan^-1xsin1x=tan1x?

2 Answers
Aug 19, 2016

I got x = 0x=0.

arcsin(0) = 0arcsin(0)=0

arctan(0) = 0arctan(0)=0

f(x) = arcsinx - arctanxf(x)=arcsinxarctanx:
graph{arcsinx - arctanx [-3.08, 3.08, -1.54, 1.54]}


This is something where you can recall that arcsinxarcsinx and arctanxarctanx are actually angles. Therefore, let us choose to subtract arctanxarctanx over, and take the sinsin of both sides.

sin(arcsinx - arctanx) = sin0sin(arcsinxarctanx)=sin0

Then, we know that sin(u-v) = sinucosv - cosusinvsin(uv)=sinucosvcosusinv. Therefore:

=> sin(arcsinx)cos(arctanx) - cos(arcsinx)sin(arctanx) = sin0sin(arcsinx)cos(arctanx)cos(arcsinx)sin(arctanx)=sin0

xcos(arctanx) - cos(arcsinx)sin(arctanx) = 0xcos(arctanx)cos(arcsinx)sin(arctanx)=0

Since arctanxarctanx is the angle opposite from the side of length xx and adjacent to the side of length 11:

color(green)(cos(arctanx) = 1/(sqrt(1+x^2)))cos(arctanx)=11+x2

Next, arcsinxarcsinx is the angle opposite to the side of length xx, while the hypotenuse is of length 11. That means:

a^2 + x^2 = 1a2+x2=1

a = sqrt(1 - x^2)a=1x2

That means:

color(green)(cos(arcsinx)) = sqrt(1 - x^2)/1 = color(green)(sqrt(1 - x^2))cos(arcsinx)=1x21=1x2

Lastly, sin(arctanx)sin(arctanx) is the sinsin that uses the sides of length xx (opposite) and sqrt(1 + x^2)1+x2 (hypotenuse), so:

color(green)(sin(arctanx) = x/(sqrt(1 + x^2)))sin(arctanx)=x1+x2

So, we can substitute these results to get:

x/(sqrt(1+x^2)) - (xsqrt(1 - x^2))/(sqrt(1 + x^2)) = 0x1+x2x1x21+x2=0

(x - xsqrt(1 - x^2))/(sqrt(1 + x^2)) = 0xx1x21+x2=0

Now let's solve for xx.

x - xsqrt(1 - x^2) = 0xx1x2=0

x = xsqrt(1 - x^2)x=x1x2

1 = sqrt(1 - x^2)1=1x2

1 = 1 - x^21=1x2

x^2 = 0 => color(blue)(x = 0)x2=0x=0

This actually happens to be at the inflection point of arcsinxarcsinx and arctanxarctanx, and these functions are odd functions, so there are no other solutions.

f(x) = arcsinx - arctanxf(x)=arcsinxarctanx:
graph{arcsinx - arctanx [-3.08, 3.08, -1.54, 1.54]}

Aug 20, 2016

First of all, notice that both arcsin(x)arcsin(x) and arctan(x)arctan(x) are, by definition in the interval [-pi/2,pi/2][π2,π2].

Apply function tantan to our equation:
tan(arcsin(x)) = tan(arctan(x)tan(arcsin(x))=tan(arctan(x)

As we know,
tan(phi)=sin(phi)/cos(phi)tan(ϕ)=sin(ϕ)cos(ϕ) by definition of function tan()tan().
tan(arctan(x))=xtan(arctan(x))=x by definition of arctan()arctan().
sin(arcsin(x)) = xsin(arcsin(x))=x by definition of arcsin()arcsin().

Therefore, our equation takes form

sin(arcsin(x))/cos(arcsin(x)) = xsin(arcsin(x))cos(arcsin(x))=x
=> x/cos(arcsin(x)) = xxcos(arcsin(x))=x
Before reducing by xx we have to check if x=0x=0 is a solution.
Indeed it is:
arcsin(0) = 0arcsin(0)=0 and arctan(0) = 0arctan(0)=0

So, we found one solution: x=0x=0.

Now let's reduce our equation by xx, which, supposedly, not equal to 00 since we already found this solution.

=> 1/cos(arcsin(x)) = 11cos(arcsin(x))=1
=> cos(arcsin(x)) = 1cos(arcsin(x))=1
=> arcsin(x) = 0arcsin(x)=0 since this is the only angle within [-pi/2,pi/2][π2,π2], coscos of which is 11.

Apply function sinsin to both sides:
sin(arcsin(x)) = sin(0)sin(arcsin(x))=sin(0)
=> x = 0x=0 - a solution, which we have already found and checked.

So, x=0x=0 is the only solution.