Secant Function

Secant function is a reciprocal for cosine function. If , then . Generally, secant function can be written as .

Now, consider only ,

1. as cos(x) approaches to 0, sec(x) approaches to ∞ or -∞,
2. when cos(x) = 1, sec(x) = 1,
3. when cos(x) = -1, sec(x) = -1.

You may change the values of a = 1, b = 1, c = 0 and d = 0 and think about the construction of sec(x) from cos(x). After that , you may alter the values to look at the shifting, scaling or reflecting of the graphs.



Slide the values of a, b, c and d to observe the changes of the graph . What can you say about the effects of these values towards the function sec (x)?


Betty, Created with GeoGebra