Name of Assignment: Trigonometric Functions
Subject: Math 140 (Trig/Pre-Calc)
Facilitator/Teacher: Karen Nelson
Subject: Math 140 (Trig/Pre-Calc)
Facilitator/Teacher: Karen Nelson
Project Description
We had to graph the standard sin and cosine functions on a sheet of trig graph paper and label the maximums and minimums as well as the intermediate points. We also had a worksheet where we modified sine and cosine functions (vertical shifts, horizontal stretches) and identified specific values of the functions (amplitude, period, etc.).
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Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
This project addresses self-directional skills. I had to manage my time wisely and work independently in order to complete this project.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of my sine and cosine graphs. Being able to see the trigonometric functions concretely helped me understand them better. It also helped me memorize some of the values of the sine and cosine of various radian measures.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
In highschool classes, our teachers usually give us a lot of reminders about the due dates of projects and they give us time to work in class. In this course, our class time is solely for lectures and exams and we work on all homework and projects on our own. Through this project, I realized that college courses require a lot of self-directional skills and that I needed to be disciplined and organized in order to succeed in class.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
Creating the sine and cosine graphs was the most time consuming aspect of this project because I had to label all of the important points on the function. I practiced doing the calculations by hand and using a unit circle to come up with the values on my graph. I checked my answers by using desmos before I finalized my drawing in pen.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do different?
I think that I could have made my graphs more easy to read. Since there are a lot of points on the graph, I had trouble spacing them out properly. I would put a little more emphasis on the maximums, minimums, and x-intercepts of the functions by labeling them in a larger font and labeling the other points in a smaller font.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
This project relates to what I have learned in my class lectures about unit circles. I was also able to relate some of my Geometry knowledge from 9th grade to define the values of sine and cosine (SOH CAH TOA).
How can you apply this to future learning?
Being able to visually identify sine and cosine functions will be very helpful to me as I progress in pre-calculus and eventually calculus. Having a representation of the sine and cosine functions in my head has helped me understand them a lot better and has already made it easier for me to understand new trigonometry concepts. I also learned how cyclical functions can be used to represent real-life scenarios (such as daylight time throughout the year).