Hyperbolic function Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
Hyperbolic functions combine the exponential function to describe a hyperbola much as trigonometric functions describe a circle. Their two basic members are the hyperbolic cosine and hyperbolic sine, defined for every real number by
Their derivatives exchange the two functions:
These formulas follow by applying differentiation to the exponential function definitions. [ref]
Adding and subtracting gives and . Multiplying these equalities proves the hyperbolic Pythagorean identity:
Consequently the parametric equation traverses the entire right branch of the unit hyperbola , where . For example, gives , while gives approximately . Compare on the unit circle, where the squared coordinates add to one. The minus sign changes the geometry from a closed circle to an unbounded hyperbola.
Figure 1.
Hyperbolic cosine and sine become the coordinates of the right branch of a unit hyperbola
. The same inputs are marked on both function graphs and the unit hyperbola. The shaded region has area and corresponds to hyperbolic angle . Details.
The other members are ratios and reciprocals: hyperbolic tangent is , hyperbolic cotangent is , and hyperbolic secant is ; denominators must be nonzero. The hyperbolic sine and hyperbolic cosine both solve the second-order linear differential equation . In fact has and , making this basis convenient for an initial value problem. Their geometry also makes hyperbolic substitution useful for integrals containing , and the hyperbolic cosine gives the physical catenary of a hanging chain.
Parametric equation 2026-10-13
A parametric equation expresses coordinates as functions of one or more independent parameters. For example, , describes a circle; multiple parameters describe surfaces. A smooth curve is a differentiable single-parameter realization. A reparametrization changes the parameter without changing the geometric image.
Reparametrization Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A reparametrization composes a parametrized curve with a smooth change of parameter. An orientation-preserving reparametrization has positive derivative.
The operation changes the parametric equation while preserving the image of the curve.
Smooth curve Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A smooth curve is a smooth map from an interval into a manifold or Euclidean space.
A curve may be described by a parametric equation; smoothness requires its coordinate functions to be differentiable to all orders.