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Subsection 9.2.4 Sine and Cosine, sin(bt), cos(bt)

Now, let’s turn to the Laplace transforms of trigonometric functions, which frequently arise in systems involving oscillations or wave equations.

Example 6.

  L{cos(3t)}.
Solution. Solution
We start by applying the definition of the Laplace transform:
L{cos(3t)}=0estcos(3t) dt.
Rather than directly integrating, we will use a modified Euler’s Formula to express cosine in terms of e
cos(3t)=12(e3it+e3it).
Substituting this into the integral gives:
L{cos(3t)}= 120est12(e3it+e3it) dt= 12[0este3it dt+0este3it dt]= 12[L{e3it}+L{e3it}]= 12[1s3i+1s+3i](by L2)= 12[s+3i+s3i(s3i)(s+3i)]= ss2+9.
Therefore, the Laplace transform of cos(3t) is:
L{cos(3t)}=ss2+9.
The sine function is handled in a similar way, as the next example shows.

Example 7.

Compute L{sin(4t)}.
Solution. Solution
As with cosine, we begin with the definition of the Laplace transform,
L{sin(4t)}=0estsin(4t) dt
and rewrite sine using Euler’s formula,
sin(4t)=e4ite4it2i.
Substituting this into the integral, we get:
L{sin(4t)}=12i0est(e4ite4it)dt=12i[0e(s+4i)tdt0e(s4i)tdt]=12i[L{e4it}L{e4it}].=12i[1s+4i1s4i](by L2)=12i[s4i(s+4i)(s+4i)(s4i)]=4s2+16.
Thus, the Laplace transform of sin(4t) is:
L{sin(4t)}=4s2+16.
Both of these approaches can be generalized to show that the formula for the Laplace transforms of sine and cosine are given as follows:

Common Laplace Transform (Sine, Cosine).

L4
L{sin(bt)}=bs2+b2,s>0
L5
L{cos(bt)}=ss2+b2,s>0

Reading Questions Check-Point Questions

1. L{sin(t)}=Xs2+1.

    L{sin(t)}=Xs2+1
  • 1
  • Correct! The Laplace transform of sin(t) is 1s2+1.
  • s
  • No, the correct numerator should be 1, not s.
  • b
  • No, the correct numerator should be 1, not b.
  • s2
  • No, the correct numerator should be 1, not s2.

2. L{cos(2t)}=Xs2+4.

    L{cos(2t)}=Xs2+4
  • 2
  • No, try again.
  • 4
  • No, try again.
  • s
  • Correct! The Laplace transform of cos(2t) is ss2+4.
  • 2s
  • No, try again.

3. L{X}=ss2+14.

    L{X}=ss2+14
  • sin(12t)
  • No, try again.
  • cos(12t)
  • No, try again.
  • cos(2t)
  • Correct! The Laplace transform of cos(2t) is ss2+14.
  • sin(2t)
  • No, try again.

4. L{sin(5t)}= ?

    L{sin(5t)}= ?
  • 5s2+25
  • Correct! The Laplace transform of sin(5t) is 5s2+25.
  • ss2+25
  • Incorrect. This is the Laplace transform of cos(5t), not sin(5t).
  • 1s2+25
  • Incorrect. The correct numerator is 5, not 1.
  • 5s2+52
  • Incorrect. While 25 is 52, the answer should simplify to 5s2+25.

5. L{cos(3t)}= ?

    L{cos(3t)}= ?
  • 3s2+9
  • Incorrect. The correct numerator should be \dss, not 3.
  • ss29
  • Incorrect. The denominator should be 9, not 9.
  • ss2+9
  • Correct! The Laplace transform of cos(3t) is ss2+9.
  • 3s29
  • Incorrect. The correct numerator should be \dss, not 3.