Objectives
- Students will determine the type of function modeled by the height of a capsule on the London Eye observation wheel.
- Students will translate observational information to use as the parameters of a cosine function.
- Students will determine the amplitude, frequency, period, and midline of a cosine function when given information in verbal or graphical form.
Vocabulary
- amplitude
- frequency
- midline
- parameters of a function
- period
- periodic function
- sinusoidal function
About the Lesson
This lesson involves creating an appropriate equation to model the height of a capsule on the wheel.
As a result, students will:
- Use a slider to animate the function modeled by the height of a capsule on the London Eye observation wheel.
- Discover the concepts of amplitude, frequency, period, and midline.
- Determine the amplitude, frequency, period, and midline of the "observation wheel" function.
*Note: This activity contains an optional AP Practice Questions document for those students preparing for the AP Precalculus Exam.