Because of their periodicity, trigonometric functions are useful for modelling all kinds of periodic or cyclical phenomena. In order to match any particular oscillation, it may be necessary to shift or scale the basic sine graph we sketched in the last section. In this section you will develop more skill with these ideas, but the basic techniques of shifting and scaling, and graphing of sums and products should all be familiar to you from Module 2.
So don’t be intimidated by the presence of trig functions. There’s really not much new here.
1. Read section 5.5 of the text.
2. Read the following Study Notes and Discussion, and make sure that you have absorbed the main points by answering the questions.
3. Read section 5.6 of the text.
4. Follow the instructions regarding Practice. When you have met the Learning Objectives for this Section, go on to the next.