Thursday, June 2, 2022
This week at Assumption College English Program year eleven students were introduced to the parent functions of trigonometric graphs. Students graphed basic sine and cosine graphs by using their knowledge of the unit circle. The unit circle at first glimpse may have seemed daunting but in subsequent weeks students have now realised its significance in allowing them to extend the domain of all trigonometric functions to real numbers. Students explored the role of the amplitude and period of a trigonometric graph and how it affects its cycle towards positive and negative infinity. Commencing advanced trigonometry from a unit circle approach gives students a solid foundation in graphing trigonometric functions and undertaking analytical trigonometry.
In the forthcoming weeks our mathematicians will be introduced to graphs of tangent and its transformations. Graphs of tangents have always proven to be an obstacle but the year eleven’s up to now have proven to be a resilient and motivated cohort in the face of adversity.
Written by Mr Patrick Clinton
