Past exam of the mathematical methods I course of the University of Oxford / 2019 / 9 / b

To invert the complex cosine, let $z=\cos w$ and put $u=e^{iw}$. Since the exponential function is nonzero, $u\ne 0$, and Euler's formula gives $2z=u+u^{-1}$. Multiplying by $u$ yields the quadratic equation $u^2-2zu+1=0$. ThusChoosing either square root of $1-z^2$ merely exchanges the two signs. The two values have product one, so neither vanishes; taking a complex logarithm is legitimate.

For each choice of sign, all solutions of $e^{iw}=u$ satisfy $iw=\mathrm{Log}u+2\pi in$. Therefore the full inverse relation isConversely, exponentiating any displayed value recovers one root of the quadratic equation, and hence $(e^{iw}+e^{-iw})/2=z$, proving completeness. With a multivalued complex logarithm, the $2\pi n$ term is already included and this is the source's compact formula for inverse cosine.

The principal inverse cosine requires compatible choices of logarithm branch, square root and sign. Both signs cannot represent that same principal function indiscriminately: at $z=0$, the two principal-log values are $\pi /2$ and $-\pi /2$, whereas the principal $\arccos 0$ is $\pi /2$. Thus the printed $\pm$ is correct for the inverse relation, not a pair of interchangeable principal-value formulas.