Sinusoidal movements: Many animals exhibit a wavelike
motion in their movements, as in the tail of a shark as it
swims in a straight line or the wingtips of a large bird in
flight. Such movements can be modeled by a sine or cosine
function and will vary depending on the animal’s size,
speed, and other factors.
65. The graph shown models
the position of a shark’s
tail at time t, as measured
to the left (negative) and
right (positive) of a
straight line along its length. (a) Use the graph to
determine the related equation. (b) Is the tail to the
right, left, or at center when sec? How far?
(c) Would you say the shark is “swimming
leisurely,” or “chasing its prey”? Justify your
answer.
66. The State Fish of Hawaii is the
humuhumunukunukuapua’a, a small colorful fish
found abundantly in coastal waters. Suppose the
tail motion of an adult fish is modeled by the
equation with d(t) representing
the position of the fish’s tail at time t, as measured
in inches to the left (negative) or right (positive)
of a straight line along its length. (a) Graph the
equation over two periods. (b) Is the tail to the
left or right of center at sec? How far?
(c) Would you say this fish is “swimming leisurely,”
or “running for cover”? Justify your answer.
Kinetic energy: The kinetic energy a planet possesses as it
orbits the Sun can be modeled by a cosine function. When
the planet is at its apogee (greatest distance from the Sun),
its kinetic energy is at its lowest point as it slows down and
“turns around” to head back toward the Sun. The kinetic
energy is at its highest when the planet “whips around the
Sun” to begin a new orbit.
67. Two graphs are given here. (a) Which of the graphs
could represent the kinetic energy of a planet
orbiting the Sun if the planet is at its perigee
(closest distance to the Sun) when ? (b) For
what value(s) of t does this planet possess 62.5% of
its maximum kinetic energy with the kinetic energy
increasing? (c) What is the orbital period of this
planet?
a. b.
25
0
50
75
100
12 48 60 72 84 96
t da
s
Percent of KE
24 36
25
0
50
75
100
12 48 60 72 84 96
t da
s
Percent of KE
24 36
t 0
t 2.7
d1t2 sin115t2
t 6.5
68. The potential energy of the planet is the antipode
of its kinetic energy, meaning when kinetic energy
is at 100%, the potential energy is 0%, and when
kinetic energy is at 0% the potential energy is at
100%. (a) How is the graph of the kinetic energy
related to the graph of the potential energy? In
other words, what transformation could be applied
to the kinetic energy graph to obtain the potential
energy graph? (b) If the kinetic energy is at 62.5%
and increasing [as in Graph 67(b)], what can be
said about the potential energy in the planet’s orbit
at this time?
Visible light: One of the narrowest bands in the
electromagnetic spectrum is the region involving visible
light. The wavelengths (periods) of visible light vary from
400 nanometers (purple/violet colors) to 700 nanometers
(bright red). The approximate wavelengths of the other
colors are shown in the diagram.
69. The equations for the colors in this spectrum have
the form where gives the length
of the sine wave. (a) What color is represented by
the equation ? (b) What color is
represented by the equation ?
70. Name the color represented by each of the graphs
(a) and (b) here and write the related equation.
a.
b.
Alternating current: Surprisingly, even characteristics of
the electric current supplied to your home can be modeled
by sine or cosine functions. For alternating current (AC),
the amount of current I (in amps) at time t can be modeled
by where A represents the maximum current
that is produced, and is related to the frequency at which
the generators turn to produce the current.
I A sin1t2,
1
0
300 600 900 1200
1
y
t (nanometers)
1
0
300 600 900 1200
1
y
t (nanometers)
y sin a
310
tb
y sina
240
tb
2
y sin1t2,
Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red
400 500 600 700
572 CHAPTER 5 An Introduction to Trigonometric Functions 5-70
20
10
1
Distance
in inches
t sec
20
10
2345
College Algebra & Trignometry—
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