Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors
Chapter 5: Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions

As one may have predicted from the title, this chapter will focus on finding derivatives of trigonometric functions. Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles, angles, ratios and circles. The term trigonometry was coined from two Greek terms: trígo̱no, meaning triangle and metro, meaning measure. Trigonometric functions are used most commonly to model cyclic events, as one may see from the sine or cosine graphs.

This chapter will examine and illustrate the derivatives of the three fundamental identities/functions of trigonometry, namely f(x) = sin x, f(x) = cos x and f(x) = tan x. Even though, tan x is a function of sin x and cos x, we will treat it as a separate function in this chapter for simplicity. Understanding these functions and their use are critical because they will help simplify mathematical modelling of nature’s many complicated motions/situations.


5.01 Review of Trigonometric Identities/Functions



5.1 Derivatives of f(x)= sin x and f(x)= cos x



5.2 Derivatives of f(x)= tan x