Trigonometry : Setting Up Trigonometric Equations

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Trigonometry

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Example Questions

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Example Question #11 : Setting Up Trigonometric Equations

Which of these functions fulfills these criteria?

  • Amplitude of
  • Period of
  • -intercept of
  • No phase shift
  • Minimum of
Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Combining a good deal of our information - an amplitude of , a -intercept of and a minimum of with no phase shift - means we are looking for a cosine function. In other words, we can start right at...

We also know that because there is a period of (since when . In other words, we can conclude that the function we are looking for is...

Example Question #172 : Trigonometry

Which of these functions includes the following points?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Judging from those five given points, we can draw the following clues:

  • Amplitude of
  • Period of

Also, note that none of the answer choices have a phase shift, meaning that you can instantly start looking for a sine function because of the zero-rise-zero-fall-zero period that is marked by those five points. Furthermore, we can also realize that we are looking for...

...because we need a period of 4 - i.e,

when .

 

Example Question #173 : Trigonometry

A sine function where is time measured in seconds has the following properties:

  • Amplitude of
  • Minimum of
  • No phase shift
  • Frequency of Hz (cycles per second)

is which of these functions?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

One important thing to realize is that the frequency is the reciprocal of the period. So if the function has a frequency of Hertz (or cycles per second), the period has to be or seconds. Because when , we know we are looking for a equation that includes .

Also, because we have an amplitude of but a minimum of , there must be a shift upwards by units. Only one function fulfills those two criteria and the period criteria:

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