Unboundness and periodicity for complex trig functions

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the properties of the complex trigonometric functions sin(z) and cos(z), particularly their unbounded nature and periodicity. Participants explore the implications of these properties when considering imaginary arguments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about how sin(z) and cos(z) can be unbounded while also having a period of 2π.
  • Another participant questions whether there exists a corresponding value in the range (2π, 4π) for a given value in (0, 2π) when considering sin(ix).
  • A participant suggests that while the period is 2π for real values, there may not be a corresponding periodicity for imaginary values.
  • It is noted that for pure imaginary arguments, sin and cos behave similarly to sinh and cosh for real arguments.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the relationship between periodicity and unboundedness, and multiple competing views remain regarding the behavior of sin(z) and cos(z) with imaginary arguments.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the implications of periodicity in the context of complex arguments, particularly how imaginary components affect the periodic nature of these functions.

ppy
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Hi
I just found out that cos(z) and sin(z) are unbounded and tend to ∞ which I find strange ! But the part I'm struggling with is that I can't reconcile that fact with the fact that they both have a period of 2pi. Surely that means that each value in the range 0-2pi is repeated in the range 2pi-4pi and so on ?
Thanks
 
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ppy said:
Hi
I just found out that cos(z) and sin(z) are unbounded and tend to ∞ which I find strange ! But the part I'm struggling with is that I can't reconcile that fact with the fact that they both have a period of 2pi. Surely that means that each value in the range 0-2pi is repeated in the range 2pi-4pi and so on ?
Thanks
Since we know that, for example, ##\sin(z)=\frac{e^{iz}-e^{-iz}}{2i}##, if we set ##z=ix##, then ##\sin(ix)=\frac{e^{-x}-e^{x}}{2i}##.

For values ##x_0\in(0,2\pi)##, is there a corresponding ##x_1\in(2\pi,4\pi)## for which ##\sin(ix_0)=\sin(ix_1)##? What does this imply about the periodicity of the sine function as the imaginary part of ##z## gets larger while the real part stays the same?
 
Last edited:
I think I might be getting there ! The period is 2pi but there is no imaginary period ? So this means sin z repeats for every real value of 2pi but never repeats for imaginary values ?
 
ppy said:
I think I might be getting there ! The period is 2pi but there is no imaginary period ? So this means sin z repeats for every real value of 2pi but never repeats for imaginary values ?
Essentially, yes.
 
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For pure imaginary arguments, sin and cos are essentially sinh and cosh for real arguments.
 

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