4

Graphs of the
Circular
Functions

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 Graphs of the Circular
4 Functions
4.1 Graphs of the Sine and Cosine
Functions
4.2 Translations of the Graphs of the Sine
and Cosine Functions
4.3 Graphs of the Tangent and Cotangent
Functions
4.4 Graphs of the Secant and Cosecant
Functions
4.5 Harmonic Motion
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4.2 Translations of the Graphs of the
Sine and Cosine Functions
Horizontal Translations ▪ Vertical Translations ▪ Combinations of
Translations ▪ Determining a Trigonometric Model

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 Horizontal Translations

The graph of the function

y = f(x – d) is translated
horizontally compared to
the graph of y = f(x).

The translation is d units to the right if d > 0 and is |

d| units to the left if d < 0.

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 Horizontal Translations

With circular functions, a horizontal translation is

called a phase shift.

In the function y = f(x – d), the expression x – d is

the argument.

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 Example 1 GRAPHING y = sin (x – d)

Graph over one period.

Method 1
To find an interval of one period, solve the three-part
inequality

Divide this interval into four equal parts:

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 Example 1 GRAPHING y = sin (x – d) (continued)

Make a table of values determined by the x-values.

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 Example 1 GRAPHING y = sin (x – d) (continued)

Join the corresponding points with a smooth curve.

The period is 2, and the amplitude is 1.

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 Example 1 GRAPHING y = sin (x – d) (continued)

Method 2
The argument indicates that the graph of
y = sin x will be translated units to the right.

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 Example 2 GRAPHING y = a cos (x – d)

Method 1
To find an interval of one period, solve the three-part
inequality

Divide this interval into four equal parts:

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 Example 2 GRAPHING y = a cos (x – d) (continued)

Make a table of values determined by the x-values.

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 Example 2 GRAPHING y = a cos (x – d) (continued)

Join the corresponding points with a smooth curve.

The period is 2, and the amplitude is 3.

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 Example 2 GRAPHING y = a cos (x – d) (continued)

Method 2

so the phase
shift is unit to the left.

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 Example 3 GRAPHING y = a cos [b(x – d)]

Method 1
To find an interval of one period, solve the three-part
inequality

Divide this interval into four equal parts to find the

points
         
  , 2 ,   ,0 , 0,2 ,  ,0 ,  , 2 .
3 6 6 3

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 Example 3 GRAPHING y = a cos [b(x – d)]
(continued)

Plot these points and join them with a smooth curve.

Then graph an additional half-period to the left and to
the right.

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 Example 3 GRAPHING y = a cos [b(x – d)]
(continued)

Method 2
Write the expression in the form a cos [b(x – d)].
  
y  2cos(3 x   )  2cos 3  x   
  3 
Then a = –2, b = 3, and

The amplitude is |–2| = 2, the period is and the

phase shift is units to the left as compared to the
graph of y = –2 cos 3x.

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 Vertical Translations

The graph of a function of

the form y = c + f(x) is
translated vertically
compared to the graph of
y = f(x).

The translation is c units up if c > 0 and |c| units

down if c < 0.
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 Example 4 GRAPHING y = c + a cos bx

Graph y = 3 – 2 cos 3x over two periods.

The graph of y = 3 – 2 cos 3x is the same as the

graph of y = –2 cos 3x, vertically translated 3 units up.

The period of –2 cos 3x is so the key points have

x-values

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 Example 4 GRAPHING y = c + a cos bx (continued)

Make a table of points.

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 Example 4 GRAPHING y = c + a cos bx (continued)

The key points are shown on the graph , along with

more of the graph, which is sketched using the fact
that the function is periodic.

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Further Guidelines for Sketching
Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions

Method 1
Step 1 Find an interval whose length is
one period by solving the three-
part inequality
Step 2 Divide the interval into four equal
parts.
Step 3 Evaluate the function for each of
the five x-values resulting from
Step 2. The points will be maximum
points, minimum points, and points
that intersect the line y = c.
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Further Guidelines for Sketching
Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions

Step 4 Plot the points found in Step 3, and

join them with a sinusoidal curve
having amplitude |a|.

Step 5 Draw the graph over additional

periods, as needed.

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Further Guidelines for Sketching
Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions

Method 2
Step 1 Graph y = a sin bx or y = a cos bx.
The amplitude of the function is |a|, and the
period is

Step 2 Use translations to graph the

desired function. The vertical translation is
c units up if c > 0 and |c| units down if c < 0.
The horizontal translation (phase shift) is d
units to the right if d > 0 and |d| units to the
left if d < 0.

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 Example 5 GRAPHING y = c + a sin [b(x – d)]

Use Method 1:

Step 1: Find an interval whose length is one period.

Divide each part by 4.

Subtract from each

part.

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 Example 5 GRAPHING y = c + a sin [b(x – d)] (cont.)

Step 2: Divide the interval into four equal

parts to get these x-values.

Step 3: Make a table of values.

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Example 5 GRAPHING y = c + a sin [b(x – d)] (cont.)

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 Example 5 GRAPHING y = c + a sin [b(x – d)] (cont.)

Steps 4 and 5: Plot the points found in the table and

join them with a sinusoidal curve. Extend the graph to
the right and to the left to include two full periods.

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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION

The maximum average

monthly temperature in New
Orleans is 83°F and the
minimum is 53°F. The table
shows the average monthly
temperatures.

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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION (continued)

The scatter diagram for a

two-year interval strongly
suggests that the
temperatures can be
modeled with a sine curve.
(a) Using only the maximum and minimum temperatures,
determine a function of the form

where a, b, c, and d are constants, that models the

average monthly temperature in New Orleans. Let x
represent the month, with January corresponding to x =
1.
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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION (continued)

Use the maximum and minimum average monthly

temperatures to find the amplitude a.
83  53
a  15
2
The average of the maximum and minimum
temperatures is a good choice for c. The average is
83  53
 68.
2
Since temperatures repeat every 12 months,

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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION (continued)

To determine the phase shift, observe that the coldest

month is January, when x = 1, and the hottest month
is July, when x = 7. A good choice for d is 4, because
April, when x = 4, is located at the midpoint between
January and July. Also, notice that the average
monthly temperature in April is 68ºF, which is the
value of the vertical translation, c. The average
monthly temperature in New Orleans is modeled
closely by the following equation.
 
f ( x )  a sin[b( x  d )]  c  15 sin  ( x  4)  68
6 
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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION (continued)

(b) On the same coordinate axes, graph f for a two-year

period together with the actual data values found in the
table.
The figure shows the data
points from the table, along
with the graph of
 
y  15 sin  ( x  4)  68
6 
and the graph
 of
y  15 sin x  68
6
for comparison.
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 MODELING TEMPERATURE WITH A
Example 6
SINE FUNCTION (continued)

(c) Use the sine regression feature of a graphing calculator to

determine a second model for these data.
We used the given data for a two-year period and the sine regression
capability of a graphing calculator to produce the model f(x) = 15.35
sin (0.52x – 2.13) + 68.89.

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