The domain of $y =\cos^{-1}(x^2-4)$ is
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → $[-\sqrt{5},-\sqrt{3}] ∪ [\sqrt{3},\sqrt{5}]$
For $y=\cos^{-1}(x^{2}-4)$ the expression inside $\cos^{-1}$ must lie in the interval:
$-1 \le x^{2}-4 \le 1$
Add 4 to all sides:
$3 \le x^{2} \le 5$
So:
$x^{2} \ge 3$ and $x^{2} \le 5$
Taking square roots:
$\sqrt{3} \le |x| \le \sqrt{5}$
Hence the domain is:
$x \in [-\sqrt{5}, -\sqrt{3}] \;\cup\; [\sqrt{3}, \sqrt{5}]$
The domain is $[-\sqrt{5}, -\sqrt{3}] \cup [\sqrt{3}, \sqrt{5}].$