Basic Technical Mathematics, 11th Edition

10.1 Graphs of y = a sin x and y = a cos x

• Graphs of $y\hspace{0.17em}=\hspace{0.17em}\sin x$ and $y\hspace{0.17em}=\hspace{0.17em}a\cos x$ • Amplitude • Graphs of $y\hspace{0.17em}=\hspace{0.17em}a\sin x$ and $y\hspace{0.17em}=\hspace{0.17em}a\cos x$

When plotting and sketching the graphs of the trigonometric functions, it is normal to express the angle in radians. By using radians, both the independent variable and the dependent variable are real numbers. If necessary, review Section 8.3 on radian measure of angles.

NOTE

[Therefore, it is necessary to be able to readily use angles expressed in radians.]

In this section, the graphs of the sine and cosine functions are shown. We begin by making a table of values of x and y for the function $y\hspace{0.17em}=\hspace{0.17em}\sin x\hspace{0.17em},\hspace{0.17em}$ where x and y are used in the standard way as the independent variable and dependent variable. We plot the ...