Graphing y = Cosh x
We know that is defined in terms of the exponential function as follows
By rewriting the function as
and noting that both factors in the numerator, as well as the denominator are positive for all values of x, we have that the graph of is always positive (in fact, it is always > = 1).
Now, the first derivative of is given by
which may rewritten as
If x < 0, (the second factor in the numerator) < 0 ; and if x > 0, the expression
> 0.
So, since is always positive, and the denominator (= 2) of
is always positive, we have that
So, the graph of the function is decreasing when x < 0 and increasing when x > 0.
Now, we take the second derivative of and obtain
we have already noted that is positive for all values of x, so the graph is always concave up.
Below is the graph of .