WildflowerJS Demos
Why Sine Waves Come From Circles: a lesson

y=sin⁡θ =

A point on a circle

A point goes round a circle of radius 1. Its height is sin θ.

The height draws a wave

Lay the angle out along a line, and the height draws a wave.

The lowest point

At what angle is the wave at its lowest?

The bottom of the circle

The wave is lowest where the point is lowest on the circle.

There: 270°, where sin θ is −1.

Right: at 270° the point is at the bottom of the circle, where its height is −1.

Turn your phone sideways

Drag the angle and answer the questions; each step waits for you. The same page plays straight through as a video.