How do you calculate #arccos(cos(4))#?

1 Answer
Apr 26, 2015

#arccos(cos(4))# is a value, #t# between #0# and #pi# whose cosine is equal to the cosine of #4#.

Note that #4> pi#, but #4 <= (3 pi)/2 ~~ 9.42/2 = 4.71#.

Thinking of #t=4# as the radian measure of an angle,
it corresponds to an angle in quadrant 3. and the reference angle is #4 - pi#.

The second quadrant angle with the same reference angle is #pi - (4-pi)# , which is #2 pi - 4#

So
#arccos(cos(4)) = 2 pi -4#

Note
All of the above is assuming that you did not intend to ask for #arccos(cos(4^@))# , which, of course, is #4^@#.