Trigonometry
Study of triangles and trigonometric functions including sine, cosine, and tangent.
Advanced Topics
Graphs of Trigonometric Functions
Seeing Trig in Action: Graphs
Trigonometric functions can be graphed to show how they change as angles increase.
- Sine and Cosine functions create smooth, wave-like patterns called sine waves and cosine waves.
- Tangent has a repeating pattern with vertical asymptotes.
Key Features
- Amplitude: Height of the wave.
- Period: How long it takes to repeat.
- Phase Shift: How far the wave is shifted horizontally.
Why Graphs Matter
Graphs help visualize how trig functions behave, making it easier to predict and understand their properties.
Examples
The graph of y = sin(x) starts at 0 and goes up to 1, down to -1, and repeats.
y = cos(x) starts at 1 when x = 0 and follows a wave pattern.
In a Nutshell
Graphs of trig functions show their patterns and help you see how angles affect their values.