Chapter 6

Trigonometric
Functions

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 Section 6.4
Graphs of the Sine and
Cosine Functions

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Objectives
• Graph the Sine Function y = sin x and
Functions of the Form y = A sin(ωx)
• Graph the Cosine Function y = cos x and
Functions of the Form y = A cos(ωx)
• Determine the Amplitude and Period of
Sinusoidal Functions
• Graph Sinusoidal Functions Using Key
Points
• Find an Equation for a Sinusoidal Graph

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Properties

We want to graph the trigonometric functions in the

xy-plane. So we use the traditional symbols x for
the independent variable (or argument) and y for
the dependentvariable for each function. Then the
six trigonometric functions are written as

y = f(x) = sin x y = f(x) = cos x y = f(x) = tan x

y = f(x) = csc x y = f(x) = sec x y = f(x) = cot x

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Graph of the Sine Function

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Properties of the Sine Function

• The domain is the set of all real numbers.

• The range consists of all real numbers from –1 to 1,
inclusive.
• The sine function is an odd function, as the symmetry
of the graph with respect to the origin indicates.
• The sine function is periodic, with period 2.
• The x-intercepts are …, –2, –, 0, , 2, 3, …; the
y-intercept is 0.
• The maximum value is 1 and occurs at
3  5 9
x  ...,  , , , ,...;
2 2 2 2
the minimum value is –1 and occurs at
 3 7 11
x  ...,  , , , ,... .
2 2 2 2
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Example 1: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A sin x Using Transformations
Graph y = 3 sin x using transformations. Use the graph
to determine the domain and the range of the function.
The figure illustrates the steps.

The domain of y = 3 sin x is the set of all real numbers,

or (–∞, ∞). The range is { y | 3  y  3}, or  3,3.
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Example 2: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A sin(ωx) Using Transformations (1 of 2)
Graph y = –2 sin(2x) using transformations. Use the graph to
determine the domain and the range of the function. Identify
the period of the function y = –2 sin(2x).
The figures illustrate the steps.

Multiply by -1: Multiply by 2:

Reflect about the x-axis Vertical stretch factor of 2

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Example 2: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A sin(ωx) Using Transformations (2 of 2)

The domain of y = –2 sin(2x) is the set of all real numbers, or

(–, ). The range is {y| –2  y  2}, or [–2 , 2].
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Graph of Cosine Function

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Properties of the Cosine Function

• The domain is the set of all real numbers.

• The range consists of all real numbers from –1 to 1,
inclusive.
• The cosine function is an even function, as the
symmetry of the graph with respect to the y-axis
indicates.
• The cosine function is periodic, with period 2.
3   3 5
• The x-intercepts are …,  ,  , , , ,...; the
2 2 2 2 2
y-intercept is 1.
• The maximum value is 1 and occurs at
x = …, –2, –, 0, , 2, 3, …; the minimum value is
–1 and occurs at x = …, –, , 3, 5, … .

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Example 3: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A cos(ωx) Using Transformations (1 of 3)
Graph y = 2 cos(3x) using transformations. Use the graph
to determine the domain and the range of the function.
Identify the period of the function y = 2 cos(3x).
The figure illustrates the steps.

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Example 3: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A cos(ωx) Using Transformations (2 of 3)

The domain of y = 2 cos(3x) is the set of all real

numbers, or (–∞, ∞). The range is {y| –2 ≤ y ≤ 2}, or
[–2, 2].
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Example 3: Graphing Functions of the Form
y = A cos(ωx) Using Transformations (3 of 3)
2
The period of the function y = 2 cos(3x) is 3
because of the compression of the original period
1
2π by the original factor of . See the figure.
3

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Sinusoidal Graphs

 
sin x  cos  x  
 2

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Theorem

THEOREM
If ω > 0, the amplitude and period of
y = A sin(ω x) and y = A cos(ω x) are given by
2
Amplitude = |A| Period  T  (1)


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Example 4: Finding the Amplitude and
Period of a Sinusoidal Function
Determine the amplitude and period of y = 5 sin(3x).

Comparing y = 5 sin(3x) to y = A sin(ωx), note that

A = 5 and ω = 3.
From equation (1),
2 2
Amplitude = |A| = 5 Period  T  
 3

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Example 5: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (1 of 4)
Graph y = 2 sin(2x) using key points.
Step 1: Determine the amplitude and period of the
sinusoidal function.
Comparing y = 2 sin(2x) to y = A sin(x), note that
A = 2 and  = 2, so the amplitude is |A| = 2 and the
2 2
period is   .
 2
Because the amplitude is 2, the graph of
y = 2 sin(2x) lies between –2 and 2 on the y-axis.
Because the period is , one cycle will begin at x = 0
and end at x = .
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Example 5: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (2 of 4)
 2 
Step 2: Divide the interval 0,  into four
  
subintervals of the same length.
Divide the interval [0, ] into four subintervals, each

of length   4  , as follows:
4
             
0, 4   4 , 4  4    4 , 2   2 , 2  4 
  3   3 3    3 
  ,  ,     , 
2 4  4 4 4  4 

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Example 5: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (3 of 4)
  3
The endpoints of the subintervals are 0, , , ,  .
4 2 4
These values represent the x-coordinates of the
five key points on the graph.
Step 3: To obtain the y-coordinates of the five key
points of y = 2 sin(2x), evaluate y = 2 sin(2x) at each
endpoint found in Step 2.
The five key points are then
       3 
(0,0),  ,2  ,  ,0  ,  , 2  ,  ,0 .
4  2   4 

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Example 5: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (4 of 4)
Plot the five key points obtained in Step 3, and fill in the
graph of the sine curve as shown on the left.
Extend the graph in each direction to obtain the complete
graph shown on the right. Notice that additional key points

appear every radian.
4

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Example 6: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (1 of 4)
  
Graph y  4sin   x  using key points.
 4 
Since the sine function is odd, use the equivalent
form:  
y  4sin  x 
4 
  
Step 1: Comparing y  4sin   x  to y = A sin(x),
  4 
note that A = –4 and   , so the amplitude is
4 2 2
|A| = 4 and the period is T    8.
 
4
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Example 6: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (2 of 4)
  
The graph of y  4sin   x  lies between –4 and 4
 4 
on the y-axis. Once cycle begins at x = 0 and ends
at x = 8.
Step 2: Divide the interval [0, 8] into four
subintervals, each of length 8  4 = 2. The
x-coordinates of the five key points are
0 0+2=2 2+2=4
1st x-coordinate 2nd x-coordinate 3rd x-coordinate
4+2=6 6+2=8
4th x-coordinate 5th x-coordinate
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Example 6: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (3 of 4)
 
Step 3: Evaluate y  4sin  x  at each of the five
x-coordinates. 4 
• at x = 0, y = –4 sin = 0
 
• at x = 2, y  4sin    4
2
• at x = 4, y = –4 sin  = 0
 3 
• at x = 6, y  4sin    4
 2 
• at x = 8, y = –4 sin 2 = 0
The five key points are
(0, 0), (2, –4), (4, 0), (6, 4), (8, 0)
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Example 6: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (4 of 4)
Step 4: Plot the five points, and fill in the graph of
the sine function as shown on the left.
Extend the graph in each direction to obtain the
figure on the right.

  
y  4sin   x 
 4 

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Example 7: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (1 of 5)
Graph y = –4 cos(πx) – 2 using key points. Use the
graph to determine the domain and the range of
y = –4 cos(πx) –2 .
Begin by graphing the function y = –4 cos(πx).
Comparing y = –4 cos(πx) with y = A cos(ωx), note
that A = –4 and ω = π.
The amplitude is |A| = |–4| = 4, and the period is
2 2
T   2.
 

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Example 7: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (2 of 5)
The graph of y = –4 cos(πx) will lie between –4 and 4
on the y-axis. One cycle will begin at x = 0 and end
at x = 2.
Divide the interval [0, 2] into four subintervals, each
1
of length 2  4  . The x-coordinates of the five key
points are 2

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Example 7: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (3 of 5)
Now evaluate y = –4 cos(πx) at each of the five
x-coordinates listed on the previous slide.
1  3 
 0, 4   , 0 1, 4   , 0  2, 4 
2  2 

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Example 7: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (4 of 5)
Plot these five points, and fill in the graph of the cosine
function as shown. Extend the graph in each direction to
obtain the graph of y = –4 cos(πx) . A vertical shift down 2
units gives the graph of y = –4 cos(πx) – 2, as shown.

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Example 7: Graphing a Sinusoidal
Function Using Key Points (5 of 5)
The domain of y = –4 cos(πx) – 2 is the set of all real
numbers, or (–∞, ∞).
The range of y = –4 cos(πx) – 2 is {y|–6 ≤ y ≤ 2}, or
[–6, 2].

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Example 8: Using a Graph to Find an
Equation for a Sinusoidal Function (1 of 2)
Find an equation for the sinusoidal graph shown.

The graph has the characteristics of a sine function.

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Example 8: Using a Graph to Find an
Equation for a Sinusoidal Function (2 of 2)
The maximum value, 2, occurs at x = 1.
So the equation can be viewed as a sine function
y = A sin(x) with A = 2 and period T = 4. Then
2 
 4, so   .
 2
The sine function whose
graph is shown is
 
y  A sin( x)  2sin  x  .
2 

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Example 9: Using a Graph to Find an
Equation for a Sinusoidal Function (1 of 2)
Find an equation for the sinusoidal graph shown.

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Example 9: Using a Graph to Find an
Equation for a Sinusoidal Function (2 of 2)
The graph is sinusoidal, with amplitude |A| = 3.
2 
The period is 8, so  8 or   .
 4
Since the graph passes through the origin but is
decreasing near the origin, the graph is that of a
sine function reflected about the x-axis. This
requires that A = –3.
The sine function is
 
y  A sin  x   3sin  x 
4 
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