Trigonometric functions in LaTeX

Write function names with \sin, \cos and \tan. They are set upright with the right spacing before the argument. For a function that has no built-in command, such as sgn or arcsinh in older setups, use \operatorname.

\sin^2 \alpha + \cos^2 \alpha = 1

\tan x = \frac{\sin x}{\cos x}, \quad \operatorname{sgn} x

\arcsin x

Common mistakes

• sin x without a backslash: it is set in italics as the product s·i·n·x.
• \sin(x)^2 instead of \sin^2 x: the power attaches to the bracket, not to the function.

See also

• Logarithms and exponentials in LaTeX
• Greek letters in LaTeX
• Limit in LaTeX