Sweep an angle around the unit circle and the y-coordinate traces sin, the x-coordinate traces cos.
Drag the sliders
y = c·sin(a·x + b)
Wave lab — drag the sliders, watch it move
wave speed v = f λ = 0.50 × 120 = 60 px/s
Reading y = c·sin(a·x + b)
- c stretches it vertically — the amplitude (height of a peak above the midline).
- a squeezes it horizontally — bigger a ⇒ shorter period = 2π / a.
- b slides it left/right — the phase shift. Drag the sliders and watch each one act.
Your turn
What is the period and amplitude of y = 3 sin(2x)?
Sound, light, alternating current, tides, radio — every wave is one of these curves, or a sum of them (that's Fourier analysis). The three knobs above are loudness, pitch, and timing.
Key features
- Period of sin and cos: 2π (360°).
- Amplitude: 1 for sin and cos.
- tan: period π, vertical asymptotes at ±π/2.