<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Determining a rider’s height on a ferris wheel

The London Eye is a huge Ferris wheel with a diameter of 135 meters (443 feet). It completes one rotation every 30 minutes. Riders board from a platform 2 meters above the ground. Express a rider’s height above ground as a function of time in minutes.

With a diameter of 135 m, the wheel has a radius of 67.5 m. The height will oscillate with amplitude 67.5 m above and below the center.

Passengers board 2 m above ground level, so the center of the wheel must be located 67.5 + 2 = 69.5 m above ground level. The midline of the oscillation will be at 69.5 m.

The wheel takes 30 minutes to complete 1 revolution, so the height will oscillate with a period of 30 minutes.

Lastly, because the rider boards at the lowest point, the height will start at the smallest value and increase, following the shape of a vertically reflected cosine curve.

  • Amplitude: 67 .5, so A = 67.5
  • Midline: 69 .5, so D = 69.5
  • Period: 30, so B = 2 π 30 = π 15
  • Shape: −cos ( t )

An equation for the rider’s height would be

y = 67.5 cos ( π 15 t ) + 69.5

where t is in minutes and y is measured in meters.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!
Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Access these online resources for additional instruction and practice with graphs of sine and cosine functions.

Key equations

Sinusoidal functions f ( x ) = A sin ( B x C ) + D f ( x ) = A cos ( B x C ) + D

Key concepts

  • Periodic functions repeat after a given value. The smallest such value is the period. The basic sine and cosine functions have a period of 2 π .
  • The function sin x is odd, so its graph is symmetric about the origin. The function cos x is even, so its graph is symmetric about the y -axis.
  • The graph of a sinusoidal function has the same general shape as a sine or cosine function.
  • In the general formula for a sinusoidal function, the period is P = 2 π | B | . See [link] .
  • In the general formula for a sinusoidal function, | A | represents amplitude. If | A | > 1 , the function is stretched, whereas if | A | < 1 , the function is compressed. See [link] .
  • The value C B in the general formula for a sinusoidal function indicates the phase shift. See [link] .
  • The value D in the general formula for a sinusoidal function indicates the vertical shift from the midline. See [link] .
  • Combinations of variations of sinusoidal functions can be detected from an equation. See [link] .
  • The equation for a sinusoidal function can be determined from a graph. See [link] and [link] .
  • A function can be graphed by identifying its amplitude and period. See [link] and [link] .
  • A function can also be graphed by identifying its amplitude, period, phase shift, and horizontal shift. See [link] .
  • Sinusoidal functions can be used to solve real-world problems. See [link] , [link] , and [link] .

Section exercises

Verbal

Why are the sine and cosine functions called periodic functions?

The sine and cosine functions have the property that f ( x + P ) = f ( x ) for a certain P . This means that the function values repeat for every P units on the x -axis.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

How does the graph of y = sin x compare with the graph of y = cos x ? Explain how you could horizontally translate the graph of y = sin x to obtain y = cos x .

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Questions & Answers

how to create a software using Android phone
Wiseman Reply
how
basra
what is the difference between C and C++.
Yan Reply
what is software
Sami Reply
software is a instructions like programs
Shambhu
what is the difference between C and C++.
Yan
yes, how?
Hayder
what is software engineering
Ahmad
software engineering is a the branch of computer science deals with the design,development, testing and maintenance of software applications.
Hayder
who is best bw software engineering and cyber security
Ahmad
Both software engineering and cybersecurity offer exciting career prospects, but your choice ultimately depends on your interests and skills. If you enjoy problem-solving, programming, and designing software syste
Hayder
what's software processes
Ntege Reply
I haven't started reading yet. by device (hardware) or for improving design Lol? Here. Requirement, Design, Implementation, Verification, Maintenance.
Vernon
I can give you a more valid answer by 5:00 By the way gm.
Vernon
it is all about designing,developing, testing, implementing and maintaining of software systems.
Ehenew
hello assalamualaikum
Sami
My name M Sami I m 2nd year student
Sami
what is the specific IDE for flutter programs?
Mwami Reply
jegudgdtgd my Name my Name is M and I have been talking about iey my papa john's university of washington post I tagged I will be in
Mwaqas Reply
yes
usman
how disign photo
atul Reply
hlo
Navya
hi
Michael
yes
Subhan
Show the necessary steps with description in resource monitoring process (CPU,memory,disk and network)
samuel Reply
What is software engineering
Tafadzwa Reply
Software engineering is a branch of computer science directed to writing programs to develop Softwares that can drive or enable the functionality of some hardwares like phone , automobile and others
kelvin
if any requirement engineer is gathering requirements from client and after getting he/she Analyze them this process is called
Alqa Reply
The following text is encoded in base 64. Ik5ldmVyIHRydXN0IGEgY29tcHV0ZXIgeW91IGNhbid0IHRocm93IG91dCBhIHdpbmRvdyIgLSBTdGV2ZSBXb3puaWFr Decode it, and paste the decoded text here
Julian Reply
what to do you mean
Vincent
hello
ALI
how are you ?
ALI
What is the command to list the contents of a directory in Unix and Unix-like operating systems
George Reply
how can i make my own software free of cost
Faizan Reply
like how
usman
hi
Hayder
The name of the author of our software engineering book is Ian Sommerville.
Doha Reply
what is software
Sampson Reply
the set of intruction given to the computer to perform a task
Noor
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply
Practice Key Terms 5

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Precalculus. OpenStax CNX. Jan 19, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11667/1.6
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Precalculus' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask