Concept: Sine

Prerequisites
I.
Writing expressions, equations and function definitions.
A. This is crucial for creating rules of sine functions (or any functions).
B. Equation vs. a function.
II.

Angles and Angle Measures.

A. An angle is the union of two rays with a common vertex. It is an object.

B. The openness of the angle is what we are measuring, and an angle measure is a
varying quantity
III.

Domain and Range. Input and output.

A. What are the possible values of inputs of a function? Domain. Must be a quantity of
angle measure. Input is one value or quantity while domain is the set of all of those
possible inputs.
B. What are the outputs of a sine function?

Learning Goals
Vertical Distance
What I mainly want my students to understand is that we use the sine function to
express the relationship between the vertical distance of the point on the arc above the
horizontal diameter measured in radius lengths; where a is the angle measure, which is
the input for a sine function. For example if sin(a) = .95, the vertical distance is .95 of the
radius.
I.

I also want my students to be able to be able to determine the value of sine function at

II.

any given measure, be it radians or degrees.

We can express the vertical distance of an object using sine functions from any given
horizontal lines that is above or below the circle by using the horizontal diameter of the

III.
IV.

circle.
Proper units of measure. When determining vertical distance, I want my students to
distinguish between the units of length (metric or whatever) or in terms of radius lengths.
Input and output of a sine function
A. Inputs must be angle measure from the 3oclock
position at counterclockwise direction

V.

B. Outputs is the vertical height from the horizontal diameter

The argument (what is inside of a parenthesis of sine functions) is also an angle
measure. (the theta)
Sine graph
I.
Period : Is the length of how long it takes for a sine function to cycle through
II.

all the possible outputs of a sine function.

Amplitude: In a graph, its the distance (magnitude) from the midline to the

III.

minimum or maximum value. It also represents the radius of a circle.

Intercept: When the angle measure is 0, what is the vertical distance of the
object from the horizontal diameter?

Bell work (this will be used to start a conversation with the students
Using a piece of string measure the thick line using the thin line. (How much of
the thin lines will fit in the thick line)
A)

B)

C)

D)

Dialogue with Students

Teacher: Focusing on c and d., how did some of you guys measure the thick lines using
the thin lines?
Student: well, I kind of just estimated how long the thin line is compared to the thick line.
Teacher: and what did you get for c?
Student: I thought the thick line is half as much as the thin line. For a thin line is twice as
big as the thick line.
Teacher: Right. And you did a similar type of comparison on d?
Student: Yes. I thought the thick line was two times as big as the thin line.
Teacher: I like that. So we can measure thick lines like those using thin lines, huh?
So in this next slide. We are going to measure lines ones again. However, this time I will
give you a reference point.

Teacher: So imagine this is a Ferris wheel with a radius of 1 your starting point is at 3
oclock position and then the wheel starts turning counterclockwise, and then it stops at
point C. Focusing on the segment DC, it indicating your height, or your vertical distance
from the horizontal diameter of the Ferris wheel. Imagine that is your thick line, and the
radius is your thin line. Do the same procedure as you did in the bell work. Use the radius
as your ruler and measure that vertical distance from the point D on the horizontal
diameter to point C on the circle.
So basically, what we have here (the Ferris wheel) is a circle of radius one. I created
points on the circle, C and B. And on the radius I have points D and E. So we have that
one line segment, D C. Lets try and compare that length to the radius. Ask yourselves.
How many times as large is the segment DC compared to the radius?
Student: Since the AD is also a radius, and its measured as 1 radius. I traced the point C
to the vertical axis, and the length is .8 of the radius.
Teacher: Precisely. This is what we call the sine value at that terminal ray from the initial
ray of 3 oclock position, with an angle measure we dont know it precisely but we will
call it theta.

Talk about Chart and plotting the points here

The teacher should let the students do the plotting of points and then ask the
behavior in the intervals for specific angle measures. Talk about how youre
supposing that the Ferris wheel is rotating and you are choosing some points that
the you have traveled on (that being points H, C, K, M, etc.) Have the students
discover what the behavior of sine graphs.
Possible questions to ask:
1. How many radius lengths is the point HI above the horizontal diameter
(ask several questions like this but on different angle measures)
2. What is the maximum output value?
3. What is the minimum value?
4. For the Ferris wheel to cycle through the all the vertical
distances from the horizontal diameter in a specific behavior?
Concludes to
Asin(Bx) + C
Where
A is the amplitude (magnitude from the midline to the maximum or minimum
value)
B is the period, which can be acquired from having the students think about how
long it takes to cycle through all the outputs of the function
C is the intercept. To give Contextual, meaning have the students think about what
if the wheel is elevated above ground and you want to describe the vertical distance from
the horizontal diameter. The minimum output value in this case would be changed.

Formative Assessments
Purpose: to Make meaning out of the unit circle (this could be given after the
lecture)
Instruction: determine the vertical distance (sine value) of the angles from the
horizontal diameter. Assuming that the angle measures are measured from the
3oclock position and is rotating counterclockwise direction.

Purpose: Focusing on definitions-- Period, amplitude, midline, H.,V. intercepts

And also to also find out what the teacher did not explain well.
What is the output of a sine function?
Period: For the values of sin ( )to vary through the cycle of its
outputs, the value of the argument must increase from 0 to __?
Describe the relationship between the midline and the amplitude
How do we determine the amplitude of a sine function when
represented a graph? What does it represent?
Criteria: For each question
100% - If the students give the complete and correct definition for each as
well as their contextual meaning
50% - The student gives partial definition and gives a contextual examples
but not the meaning.

0% - Student has no idea what it means. Or can kind of describe what the
term means but cannot give a contextual meaning or example.

Summative Assessment (solutions included)

You and a bunch of other scientists have created a high-speed rover that will be
sent on the moon that will be used to gather data about the surface of the moon
that a similar rover will be later used to gather data on other planets. What You
and your team wants to find out is how fast can the rover travel around the moon.
Suppose that you one of the observers who is gathering data by locating the rover
on the moon. You noticed that the rover started traveling from the 3 oclock
position and is traveling counterclockwise around the moon. Given that the radius
of the moon is 1700 meters. Answer the following questions:
I) What is the circumference of the moon in meters?
2(1700) I want my students to see that the circumference of a
circle is 2(r) because there are 2 radius lengths in any given circle; where r is
the length of the radius.
II) Suppose that the rover has travelled 25% of the entire circumference of the
moon
a.) How many radius lengths has the rover travelled so far? (
a.) (1/4)(2) Arc length: a portion of the circle in radius lengths is
a portion of 2pi.
b.) How many miles has the rover travelled so far?
a. A portion (25%) of the circumference in this case, but in miles.
c.) How far is the rover above the horizontal diameter of the moon? Give
a response in units of radius lengths and miles
a. Since the rover has traveled 25% of the entire 2, then the rover
has traveled /2 radiuses of the entire travel. Since there are /2
radii, then (/2)*rshouldgivethedistancethattheroverhastraveledsofarin
miles.

III.) The entire travel

a) What is the maximum distance above the horizontal diameter of the moon
can the rover travels in miles?
a. The maximum is the length of the radius:.1700 miles
b) What is the sine value at this point?
a. I want my students to determine the sine value at this angle
c) What is the minimum value that the rover can travel above the horizontal
diameter of the moon in radius lengths?

a) What is the period of the function?

pi
b) What is the minimum output value of this function?
-4
c) What is the maximum output value of this function?
-1
d) What is the midline of the function?
-2.5
e) What is the amplitude of this function?
1.5
f) Define a function, g, to represent the behavior of the graphed function in terms
of the angle measure a.
g(a) = 1.5sin(4a) 2.5