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What does the notation y = arccos x mean

A) y is the cosine of x
B) y is the arc cosine of x
C) x is the cosine of y
D) x is the arc cosine of y

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The notation y = arccos x means that y is the arc cosine of x.

Step-by-step explanation:

The notation y = arccos x means that y is the arc cosine of x. Arc cosine is the inverse function of the cosine function. It is used to find the angle whose cosine is x. For example, if we have y = arccos(0.5), it means that the angle whose cosine is 0.5 is y. It's important to note that when using the arccosine function, the output is an angle, not a ratio or proportion. The angle is measured in radians or degrees, depending on the context. When working with inverse trigonometric functions, it's crucial to be aware of the specific domain and range restrictions to ensure meaningful results.

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