maths.free › Trigonometry › Graphs of sine, cosine and tangent

Graphs of sine, cosine and tangent

Amplitude, period, phase shift and the shape of periodic motion.

y = A sin(Bx + C) + D has amplitude |A|, period 2π/B, phase shift −C/B and midline D. Picture it: the graph is a wave; changing each parameter stretches, squeezes or slides it. Think it: every periodic signal — sound, light, tides — is a sum of such waves (Fourier), so these four parameters describe all of them.

Worked example: y = sin(x) + cos(2x)

Algebra · Functions

Graph and analyse sin(x) + cos(2x)

y = \sin{\left(x \right)} + \cos{\left(2 x \right)}

Step by step

  1. \sin{\left(x \right)} + \cos{\left(2 x \right)}

    An expression in x. Here is what it does.

  2. x = - \frac{5 \pi}{6}, x = - \frac{\pi}{6}, x = \frac{\pi}{2}

    Real zeros (where the graph crosses the axis).

  3. \frac{d}{dx} = - 2 \sin{\left(2 x \right)} + \cos{\left(x \right)}

    Derivative (slope).

Reveal the answer
\sin{\left(x \right)} + \cos{\left(2 x \right)}

Symbols used here

\pi
pi
Ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, 3.14159…
\sin,\ \cos,\ \tan
sine, cosine, tangent
Ratios of sides in a right triangle; coordinates on the unit circle.
f'(x),\ \frac{dy}{dx}
derivative
Instantaneous rate of change; slope of the graph.
\leq,\ \geq
less/greater than or equal
Inequalities that allow equality; < and > exclude it.
\theta
theta
The usual name for an angle.
^\circ
degrees
1/360 of a full turn. 180° = π radians.
\arcsin,\ \sin^{-1}
inverse sine
The angle whose sine is the given value (and likewise arccos, arctan).

How to: Graphs of sine, cosine and tangent

  1. An expression in x. Here is what it does.
  2. Real zeros (where the graph crosses the axis).
  3. Derivative (slope).

Questions people ask

Why radians instead of degrees?

A radian is the angle whose arc equals the radius, so it is a pure ratio rather than an arbitrary 1/360 of a turn. With radians the derivative of sin x is exactly cos x; with degrees a factor of π/180 appears everywhere.

Why does sin x = 1/2 have infinitely many solutions?

Sine repeats every full turn, and within one turn it reaches 1/2 twice (at π/6 and 5π/6). Add any whole number of turns to either and it is still true.

How do I remember the exact values?

Two triangles: the 45-45-90 with sides 1, 1, √2 and the 30-60-90 with sides 1, √3, 2. Every value for 30°, 45° and 60° is a ratio of those sides; symmetry gives the rest of the circle.

Try your own

More in Trigonometry

The unit circleTrigonometric equationsTrigonometric identitiesDegrees and radiansRight-triangle trigonometry (SOH-CAH-TOA)Law of sines and law of cosinesInverse trigonometric functions