Education Technology


Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions

Activity Overview

Students will use the graph of the sine function to estimate the graph of the cosine function. They will do this by inspecting the slope of a tangent to the graph of the sine function at several points and using this information to construct a scatter plot for the derivative of the sine. Students will then use this result to find the derivative of the cosine function.

Before the Activity

Download the attached PDF and look over the information on the first page. Download and distribute the attached TI-Nspire document (.tns file) and student worksheet for use during the activity.

During the Activity

Discuss the material from the activity pages and worksheet with students as needed.

After the Activity

Encourage students to summarize what they have learned from completing the activity.