Integration of sec , csc , sec

3
and csc
3

_
sec d by trickery
The standard trick used to integrate sec is to multiply the integrand by 1 =
sec +tan
sec +tan
and
then substitute y = sec + tan, dy = (sec tan + sec
2
) d.
_
sec d =
_
sec
sec +tan
sec +tan
d =
_
sec
2
+sec tan
sec +tan
d =
_
dy
y
= ln|y| + C
= ln| sec + tan| + C
_
sec d by partial fractions
Another method for integrating
_
sec d, that is more tedious, but less dependent on a
memorized trick, is to convert
_
sec d into the integral of a rational function using the
substitution y = sin, dy = cos d and then use partial fractions.
_
sec d =
_
1
cos
d =
_
cos
cos
2

d =
_
cos
1sin
2

d =
_
1
1y
2
dy
=
_
1
2
_
1
1+y
+
1
1y
_
dy =
1
2
_
_
1
y+1

1
y1
_
dy =
1
2
_
ln|y + 1| ln|y 1|
_
+ C
=
1
2
ln

y+1
y1

+ C =
1
2
ln

sin+1
sin1

+ C
To see that this answer is really the same as the one above, note that
sin+1
sin1
=
(sin+1)
2
sin
2
1
=
(sin+1)
2
cos
2

1
2
ln

sin+1
sin1

=
1
2
ln

(sin+1)
2
cos
2

=
1
2
ln

(sin+1)
2
cos
2

= ln

sin+1
cos

= ln| tan + sec |

_
csc d by the x = tan

2
substitution
The integral
_
csc d may also be evaluated by both the methods above. The answers are
_
csc d = ln| cot csc | + C =
1
2
ln

cos +1
cos 1

+ C
Since csc is a rational function of sin and cos , the substitution
x = tan

2
= 2 tan
1
x
d =
2
1+x
2
dx
sin = 2 sin

2
cos

2
= 2
x

1+x
2
1

1+x
2
=
2x
1+x
2
/2
1
x

1 + x
2
cos = cos
2
2
sin
2
2
=
1
1+x
2

x
2
1+x
2
=
1x
2
1+x
2
1
converts
_
csc d into the integral of a rational function.
_
csc d =
_
1
sin
d =
_
1+x
2
2x
2
1+x
2
dx =
_
1
x
dx = ln|x| + C = ln

tan

2

+ C
To see that this answer is really the same as the one above, note that
cot csc =
cos 1
sin
=
2 sin
2
(/2)
2 sin(/2) cos(/2)
= tan

2
_
sec
3
x dx by trickery
The standard trick used to evaluate
_
sec
3
x dx is integration by parts with u = sec x,
dv = sec
2
x dx, du = sec xtanx dx, v = tanx.
_
sec
3
x dx =
_
sec x sec
2
x dx = sec xtanx
_
tanx sec xtanx dx
Since tan
2
x + 1 = sec
2
x, we have tan
2
x = sec
2
x 1 and
_
sec
3
x dx = sec xtanx
_
[sec
3
xsec x] dx = sec xtanx+ln| sec x+tanx|+C
_
sec
3
x dx
where we used
_
sec x dx = ln| sec x+tan x| +C. Now moving the
_
sec
3
x dx from the right
hand side to the left hand side
2
_
sec
3
x dx = sec xtanx + ln| sec x + tanx| + C

_
sec
3
x dx =
1
2
sec xtanx +
1
2
ln| sec x + tanx| + C
for a new arbitrary constant C.
_
sec
3
x dx by partial fractions
Another method for integrating
_
sec
3
x dx, that is more tedious, but less dependent on
trickery, is to convert
_
sec
3
xdx into the integral of a rational function using the substitution
y = sinx, dy = cos xdx and then use partial fractions.
_
sec
3
x dx =
_
1
cos
3
x
dx =
_
cos x
cos
4
x
dx =
_
cos x
[1sin
2
x]
2
dx =
_
1
[1y
2
]
2
dy =
_
1
[y
2
1]
2
dy
=
_
_
1
2
_
1
y1

1
y+1
_
_
2
dy =
1
4
_
_
1
(y1)
2

2
(y1)(y+1)
+
1
(y+1)
2
_
dy
=
1
4
_
_
1
(y1)
2

1
y1
+
1
y+1
+
1
(y+1)
2
_
dy
=
1
4
_

1
y1
ln|y 1| + ln|y + 1|
1
y+1
_
+ C =
1
4
2y
y
2
1
+
1
4
ln

y+1
y1

+ C
=
1
2
y
1y
2
+
1
4
ln

y+1
y1

+ C =
1
2
sinx
cos
2
x
+
1
2
ln

sinx+1
sinx1

+ C
2
_
csc
3
d by the x = tan

2
substitution
As another example of the x = tan

2
, d =
2
1+x
2
dx, sin =
2x
1+x
2
, cos =
1x
2
1+x
2
substitution,
we evaluate
_
csc
3
d =
_
1
sin
3

d =
_
_
1+x
2
2x
_
3
2
1+x
2
dx =
1
4
_
1+2x
2
+x
4
x
3
dx
=
1
4
_
x
2
2
+ 2 ln|x| +
x
2
2

+ C =
1
8
_
cot
2
2
+ 4 ln

tan

2

+ tan
2
2

+ C
By the usual double angle formulae
tan
2
2
cot
2
2
=
sin
2
2
cos
2

2

cos
2
2
sin
2
2
=
sin
4
2
cos
4
2
sin
2
2
cos
2

2
=
sin
2
2
cos
2
2
sin
2
2
cos
2

2
since sin
2
2
+ cos
2
2
= 1
=
cos
1
4
sin
2

so we may also write

_
csc
3
d =
1
2
cot csc +
1
2
ln| cot csc | + C
3