Wei is standing in wavy water and notices the depth of the waves varies in a periodic way that can be modeled by a trigonometric function. He starts a stopwatch to time the waves. After 1.1 seconds, and then again every 3 seconds, the water just touches his knees. Between peaks, the water recedes to his ankles. Wei's ankles are 12cm off the ocean floor, and his knees are 55cm off the ocean floor. Find the formula of the trigonometric function that models the depth D of the water t seconds after Wei starts the stopwatch. Define the function using radians.D(t)=□
Q. Wei is standing in wavy water and notices the depth of the waves varies in a periodic way that can be modeled by a trigonometric function. He starts a stopwatch to time the waves. After 1.1 seconds, and then again every 3 seconds, the water just touches his knees. Between peaks, the water recedes to his ankles. Wei's ankles are 12cm off the ocean floor, and his knees are 55cm off the ocean floor. Find the formula of the trigonometric function that models the depth D of the water t seconds after Wei starts the stopwatch. Define the function using radians.D(t)=□
Determine Amplitude: Determine the amplitude of the wave.The amplitude is half the distance between the maximum and minimum values of the wave's depth. The maximum depth is at Wei's knees (55cm) and the minimum depth is at his ankles (12cm).Amplitude (A) = (Maximum depth - Minimum depth) / 2A=(55cm−12cm)/2A=43cm/2A=21.5cm
Determine Vertical Shift: Determine the vertical shift.The vertical shift is the average of the maximum and minimum values of the wave's depth.Vertical shift D0 = 2Maximum depth+Minimum depthD0=255cm+12cmD0=267cmD0=33.5cm
Determine Period: Determine the period of the wave.The period T is the time it takes for the wave to complete one full cycle. Wei notices that the water touches his knees every 3 seconds, which means the period is 3 seconds.
Convert to Radians: Convert the period from seconds to radians.Since the trigonometric function will be defined using radians, we need to find the angular frequency (ω), which is 2π divided by the period (T).ω=T2πω=32π
Determine Phase Shift: Determine the phase shift.The phase shift is the horizontal shift of the function. Since the water touches Wei's knees at t=1.1 seconds, and this is the first time it happens after he starts the stopwatch, the phase shift will be to the right by 1.1 seconds.Phase shift (φ) = −ω×time shiftφ=−32π×1.1φ=−32π×1.1φ=−32.2π
Write Trig Function: Write the trigonometric function.The general form of a sinusoidal function is D(t)=A⋅sin(ωt+φ)+D0.Substitute the values of A, ω, φ, and D0 into the equation.D(t)=21.5⋅sin(32πt−32.2π)+33.5
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