Tangent to Hyperbolic function graph

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Karol
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Moved from a technical forum, so homework template missing
Show that the tangent to ##x^2-y^2=1## at points ##x_1=\cosh (u)## and ##y_1=\sinh(u)## cuts the x-axis at ##{\rm sech(u)}## and the y-axis at ##{\rm -csch(u)}##.
$$2x-2yy'=0~\rightarrow~\frac{x}{y}=y'=\frac{\cosh (u)}{\sinh (u)}=\frac{e^u+e^{-u}}{e^u-e^{-u}}$$
The equation of the tangent is ##y=y'x+b## and it's intersection with the y-axis is at ##y=\sinh (u)##:
$$y=y'x+b~~\rightarrow~~\sinh (u)=\frac{e^u+e^{-u}}{e^u-e^{-u}}(e^u+e^{-u})+b~~\rightarrow~~b=4$$
But b can't be 4 because it is a general expression, it should depend on u
 
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Why do you expect the intersection with the y-axis to be at sinh(u)? That's the y-value where the tangent touches the hyperbola, it won't be identical with the y-axis intersection in general.

I don't understand the second part of your calculation at all.
 
Karol said:
Show that the tangent to ##x^2-y^2=1## at points ##x_1=\cosh (u)## and ##y_1=\sinh(u)## cuts the x-axis at ##{\rm sech(u)}## and the y-axis at ##{\rm -csch(u)}##.
$$2x-2yy'=0~\rightarrow~\frac{x}{y}=y'=\frac{\cosh (u)}{\sinh (u)}=\frac{e^u+e^{-u}}{e^u-e^{-u}}$$
The equation of the tangent is ##y=y'x+b## and it's intersection with the y-axis is at ##y=\sinh (u)##:
$$y=y'x+b~~\rightarrow~~\sinh (u)=\frac{e^u+e^{-u}}{e^u-e^{-u}}(e^u+e^{-u})+b~~\rightarrow~~b=4$$
But b can't be 4 because it is a general expression, it should depend on u

I don't see the point in going back and forth from exponentials to hyperbolic functions. If you stick to hyperbolic functions, then your equation for the tangent is:

[itex]y = \frac{cosh(u)}{sinh(u)} x + b[/itex]

If you plug [itex]y=sinh(u), x = cosh(u)[/itex] in, what do you get for [itex]b[/itex]? Certainly not [itex]4[/itex].