Trigonometric Integrals

When the integrand is primarily or exclusively based on trigonometric functions, the following techniques are useful.

Powers of Sine and Cosine

We will give a general method to solve generally integrands of the form $\cos ^{m}(x)\cdot \sin ^{n}(x)$ . First let us work through an example.

$\int \cos ^{3}(x)\sin ^{2}(x)dx$

Notice that the integrand contains an odd power of cos. So rewrite it as

$\int \cos ^{2}(x)\sin ^{2}(x)\cos(x)dx$

We can solve this by making the substitution $u=\sin(x)$ so $du=\cos(x)dx$ . Then we can write the whole integrand in terms of $u$ by using the identity

$\cos ^{2}(x)=1-\sin ^{2}(x)=1-u^{2}$ .

So

$\int \cos ^{3}(x)\sin ^{2}(x)dx$	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int\cos^2(x)\sin^2(x)\cos(x)dx}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int (1-u^2)u^2du}
	$=\int u^{2}du-\int u^{4}du$
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{u^3}{3}+\frac{u^5}{5}+C}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{\sin^3(x)}{3}-\frac{\sin^5(x)}{5}+C}

This method works whenever there is an odd power of sine or cosine.

To evaluate Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\cos^m(x)\sin^n(x)dx} when either Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle m} or Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle n} is odd.

• If Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle m} is odd substitute $u=\sin(x)$ and use the identity Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \cos^2(x)=1-\sin^2(x)=1-u^2} .
• If Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle n} is odd substitute Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle u=\cos(x)} and use the identity Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin^2(x)=1-\cos^2(x)=1-u^2} .

Example

Find Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\limits_0^\frac{\pi}{2} \cos^{40}(x)\sin^3(x)dx} .

As there is an odd power of Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin} we let $u=\cos(x)$ so Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle du=-\sin(x)dx} . Notice that when $x=0$ we have $u=\cos(0)=1$ and when $x={\frac {\pi }{2}}$ we have $u=\cos({\tfrac {\pi }{2}})=0$ .

$\int \limits _{0}^{\frac {\pi }{2}}\cos ^{40}(x)\sin ^{3}(x)dx$	$=\int \limits _{0}^{\frac {\pi }{2}}\cos ^{40}(x)\sin ^{2}(x)\sin(x)dx$
	$=-\int \limits _{1}^{0}u^{40}(1-u^{2})du$
	$=\int \limits _{0}^{1}u^{40}(2-u^{2})du$
	$=\int \limits _{0}^{5}(u^{40}-u^{42})du$
	$=\left({\frac {u^{41}}{41}}-{\frac {u^{43}}{43}}\right){\Bigg |}_{0}^{1}$
	$={\frac {1}{41}}-{\frac {1}{43}}$

When both $m$ and $n$ are even, things get a little more complicated.

To evaluate $\int \cos ^{m}(x)\sin ^{n}(x)dx$ when both $m$ and $n$ are even.

Use the identities $\sin ^{2}(x)={\frac {1-\cos(2x)}{2}}$ and $\cos ^{2}(x)={\frac {1+\cos(2x)}{2}}$ .

Example

Find $\int \sin ^{2}(x)\cos ^{4}(x)dx$ .

As $\sin ^{2}(x)={\frac {1-\cos(2x)}{2}}$ and $\cos ^{2}(x)={\frac {1+\cos(2x)}{2}}$ we have

$\int \sin ^{2}(x)\cos ^{4}(x)dx=\int \left({\frac {1-\cos(2x)}{2}}\right)\left({\frac {1+\cos(2x)}{2}}\right)^{2}dx$

and expanding, the integrand becomes

${\frac {1}{8}}\int \left(1-\cos ^{2}(2x)+\cos(2x)-\cos ^{3}(2x)\right)dx$

Using the multiple angle identities

$I$	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{1}{8}\left(\int 1dx-\int\cos^2(2x)dx+\int\cos(2x)dx-\int\cos^3(2x)dx\right)}
	$={\frac {1}{8}}\left(x-{\frac {1}{2}}\int {\Big (}1+\cos(4x){\Big )}dx+{\frac {\sin(2x)}{2}}-\int \cos ^{2}(2x)\cos(2x)dx\right)$
	TODO: CORRECT FORMULA$={\frac {1}{164}}\left(x+\sin(2x)+\int \cos(4x)dx-2\int {\Big (}1-\sin ^{2}(2x){\Big )}\cos(2x)dx\right)$

then we obtain on evaluating

$I={\frac {x}{16}}-{\frac {\sin(4x)}{64}}+{\frac {\sin ^{3}(2x)}{48}}+C$

Powers of Tan and Secant

To evaluate $\int \tan ^{m}(x)\sec ^{n}(x)dx$ .

1. If $n$ is even and $n\geq 2$ then substitute $u=tan(x)$ and use the identity $\sec ^{2}(x)=1+\tan ^{2}(x)$ .
2. If $n$ and $m$ are both odd then substitute Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle u=\sec(x)} and use the identity Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \tan^2(x)=\sec^2(x)-1} .
3. If Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle n} is odd and Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle m} is even then use the identity Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \tan^2(x)=\sec^2(x)-1} and apply a reduction formula to integrate Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sec^j(x)dx} , using the examples below to integrate when Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle j=1,2} .

Example 1

Find Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sec^2(x)dx} .

There is an even power of Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sec(x)} . Substituting Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle u=\tan(x)} gives Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle du=\sec^2(x)dx} so

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sec^2(x)dx=\int du=u+C=\tan(x)+C.}

Example 2

Find Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\tan(x)dx} .

Let $u=\cos(x)$ so Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle du=-\sin(x)dx} . Then

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\tan(x)dx}	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int\frac{\sin(x)}{\cos(x)}dx}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int -\frac{du}{u}}
	$=-\ln |u|+C$
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =-\ln\Big|\cos(x)\Big|+C}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\ln\Big|\sec(x)\Big|+C}

Example 3

Find Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sec(x)dx} .

The trick to do this is to multiply and divide by the same thing like this:

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sec(x)dx}	$=\int \sec(x){\frac {\sec(x)+\tan(x)}{\sec(x)+\tan(x)}}dx$
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int\frac{\sec^2(x)+\sec(x)\tan(x)}{\sec(x)+\tan(x)}dx}

Making the substitution Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle u=\sec(x)+\tan(x)} so Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle du=\sec(x)\tan(x)+\sec^2(x)dx} ,

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sec(x)dx}	$=\int {\frac {du}{u}}$
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\ln|u|+C}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \ln\Big|\sec(x)+\tan(x)\Big|+C}

More trigonometric combinations

For the integrals Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(nx)\cos(mx)dx} or Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(nx)\sin(mx)dx} or $\int \cos(nx)\cos(mx)dx$ use the identities

• Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(a)\cos(b)=\frac{\sin(a+b)+\sin(a-b)}{2}}
• Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(a)\sin(b)=\frac{\cos(a-b)-\cos(a+b)}{2}}
• $\cos(a)\cos(b)={\frac {\cos(a-b)+\cos(a+b)}{2}}$

Example 1

Find Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(3x)\cos(5x)dx} .

We can use the fact that Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(a)\cos(b)=\frac{\sin(a+b)+\sin(a-b)}{2}} , so

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(3x)\cos(5x)=\frac{\sin(8x)+\sin(-2x)}{2}}

Now use the oddness property of Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(x)} to simplify

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(3x)\cos(5x)=\frac{\sin(8x)-\sin(2x)}{2}}

And now we can integrate

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(3x)\cos(5x)dx}	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\int\Big(\frac{\sin(8x)-\sin(2x)}{2}\Big)dx}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{\cos(2x)}{4}-\frac{\cos(8x)}{16}+C}

Example 2

Find:Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(x)\sin(2x)dx} .

Using the identities

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \sin(x)\sin(2x)=\frac{\cos(-x)-\cos(3x)}{2}=\frac{\cos(x)-\cos(3x)}{2}}

Then

Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int\sin(x)\sin(2x)dx}	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{1}{2}\int\Big(\cos(x)-\cos(3x)\Big)dx}
	Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle =\frac{\sin(x)}{2}-\frac{\sin(3x)}{6}+C}

Resources

• Trigonometric Integrals Involving Powers of Sine and Cosine - Part 1 by James Sousa

• Trigonometric Integrals Involving Powers of Sine and Cosine - Part 2 by James Sousa

• Trigonometric Integrals Involving Powers of Secant and Tangent - Part 1 by James Sousa

• Trigonometric Integrals Involving Powers of Secant and Tangent - Part 1 by James Sousa

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 1 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 2 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 3 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 4 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 5 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric Integrals - Part 6 of 6 by patrickJMT

• Trigonometric integrals - sin^mcos^n, odd m by Kriata King

• Trigonometric integrals - sin^mcos^n, odd n by Kriata King

• Trigonometric integrals - sin^mcos^n, m and n even by Kriata King

• Integrals of trigonometric functions, tan^msec^n, even n by Krista King

• Integrals of trigonometric functions, tan^msec^n, odd m by Krista King