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Key Terms

amplitude
the vertical height of a function; the constant A A appearing in the definition of a sinusoidal function
arccosine
another name for the inverse cosine; arccosx= cos −1 x arccosx= cos −1 x
arcsine
another name for the inverse sine; arcsinx= sin −1 x arcsinx= sin −1 x
arctangent
another name for the inverse tangent; arctanx= tan −1 x arctanx= tan −1 x
inverse cosine function
the function cos −1 x, cos −1 x, which is the inverse of the cosine function and the angle that has a cosine equal to a given number
inverse sine function
the function sin −1 x, sin −1 x, which is the inverse of the sine function and the angle that has a sine equal to a given number
inverse tangent function
the function tan −1 x, tan −1 x, which is the inverse of the tangent function and the angle that has a tangent equal to a given number
midline
the horizontal line y=D, y=D, where D D appears in the general form of a sinusoidal function
periodic function
a function f( x ) f( x ) that satisfies f( x+P )=f( x ) f( x+P )=f( x ) for a specific constant P P and any value of x x
phase shift
the horizontal displacement of the basic sine or cosine function; the constant C B C B
sinusoidal function
any function that can be expressed in the form f( x )=Asin( Bx−C )+D f( x )=Asin( Bx−C )+D or f( x )=Acos( Bx−C )+D f( x )=Acos( Bx−C )+D
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