“Getting Triggy with it!”
Trigonometric Functions & The Unit Circle
This trigonometric functions lesson includes recalling information from the unit circle. Before beginning this activity, students should have been introduced to sine and cosine. A review will be given before the introduction of a hamster wheel as the unit circle. Using a ruler, students will measure the diameter of the hamster wheel and the distance from the ground to the center of the wheel. From this information, students will discover the radius of the wheel. Knowing that one full rotation takes 60 seconds, students can cut the wheel into four equal quadrants based on the time. Students will use a Post-it to mark each section. Then, students will measure the hamster wheel at each time period and record their data on the given table. From this data, students will graph their results. Students will become aware of the repetition of heights and form a cosine curve. At the end of the lesson, students will answer concluding questions. This problem can be done many different ways with different values for time. Also, many questions can arrive from this problem. This concept can also be directly compared to riding a ferris wheel. Students will become aware that as you go around the unit circle, you are constantly creating a continuous, repeating wave.
Worksheet | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Powerpoint | |
File Size: | 2335 kb |
File Type: | pptx |