Find the degree measure of θ if it exists. Do not use a calculator.
θ = sin⁻¹ 2

Key Concepts

Inverse Sine Function

The inverse sine function, denoted as sin⁻¹ or arcsin, is used to find an angle whose sine value is a given number. The output of this function is restricted to the range of -90° to 90° (or -π/2 to π/2 radians), which means it can only return angles for sine values between -1 and 1. If the input exceeds this range, the function does not yield a valid angle.

Range of the Sine Function

The sine function outputs values between -1 and 1 for all real numbers. This means that for any angle θ, sin(θ) will always fall within this interval. Therefore, when evaluating sin⁻¹, the input must also lie within this range; otherwise, the function is undefined, indicating that no angle corresponds to the given sine value.

Understanding Undefined Values

In trigonometry, certain values can lead to undefined results. For instance, when attempting to find the angle θ such that sin(θ) = 2, this is impossible since 2 is outside the range of the sine function. Recognizing when a value is undefined is crucial for solving trigonometric equations and understanding the limitations of trigonometric functions.