How Do You Prove the Derivatives of Sin and Cos Functions?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on proving the derivatives of the sine and cosine functions, specifically that \(\frac{d}{dz}\sin z = \cos z\) and \(\frac{d}{dz}\cos z = -\sin z\). The proof utilizes the McLaurin series for sine, represented as \(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} (-1)^n \frac{z^{2n+1}}{(2n+1)!}\), and demonstrates term-by-term differentiation to arrive at the cosine function. Participants emphasize the importance of establishing the validity of term-by-term differentiation and suggest exploring additional properties of sine and cosine, such as periodicity and the Pythagorean identity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of McLaurin series
  • Knowledge of term-by-term differentiation
  • Familiarity with basic differential equations
  • Concept of periodic functions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the McLaurin series for cosine and its derivatives
  • Learn about term-by-term differentiation and its conditions
  • Explore the periodic properties of sine and cosine functions
  • Investigate the relationship between differential equations and trigonometric functions
USEFUL FOR

Students of calculus, mathematics educators, and anyone interested in the foundational proofs of trigonometric derivatives.

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Hi. I believe this may have been addressed previously but I wanted to make sure since I don't think it was completed.

Hi I know that differentiating sin = cos , and differentiating cos = -sin. Time to prove it.

Q3:
Prove that: [itex]\frac{d}{{dz}}\sin z = \cos z[/itex]


We know the McLaurin form for sin is:
[itex] \sum\limits_{n = 0}^\infty {( - 1)^n } \frac{{z^{2n+1} }}{{(2n+1)!}} = z - z^3/3! + z^5/5! - z^7/7! +...[/itex]

differentiating sin term by term i get:
[itex]1 -3z^2/3! + 5z^4/5! - 7z^6/7! +...[/itex] =
[itex]1 -z^2/2! + z^4/4! - z^6/6! +...[/itex] =
cos z

would this be considered a "sufficient proof" . Even though I have only proved the first few terms, I am guessing we can just assume the rest is correct by the theory of induction.?
 
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Why not just differentiate the general term in the sum, rather than each individually?
 
Can you prove it by induction? Then you should do so rather than just saying it can be done.

But I don't see why you only do a few terms. The McLaurin series for sin(x) is, as you say,
[itex]\sum\limits_{n = 0}^\infty {( - 1)^n } \frac{{z^{2n+1} }}{{(2n+1)!}}[/itex]
The general term is
[tex](-1)^n \frac{2^{2n+1}}{(2n+1)!}[/itex]<br /> <br /> Differentiating that gives<br /> [tex](-1)^n(2n+1)\frac{z^{2n}}{(2n+1)!}= (-1)^n \frac{z^{2n}}{(2n)!}[/itex]<br /> <br /> That's all you need. (Except, of course, for some "technicalities" like showing that term by term differentiation of thes series does give the derivatative of the function.)<br /> <br /> This is, of course, assuming that you have <b>defined</b> sin(x) and cos(x) by these series. If you defined them in some other way (using the unit circle is common) then you would need to know the derivatives in order to find the McLaurin series. And if you do define sin(x) and cos(x) in terms of series, you would still need to prove a number of other properties from that. Have you thought about how you might prove that sin(x) and cos(x) are periodic with period [itex]2\pi[/itex]? Or that sin<sup>2</sup>(x)+ cos<sup>2</sup>(x)= 1?<br /> <br /> Actually, those aren't that difficult. From the derivatives, as done here, you can show that sin(x) satisfies y"= -y, with y(0)= 0, y'(0)= 1, while cos(x) satisfies y"= -y, with y(0)= 1, y'(0)= 0, and then use properties of differential equations.[/tex][/tex]
 

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