# Math Help - Help with answer?

$y=sin2x$

1)What does the 2 indicate?

2) Is the period $\pi$?

3) Where are its zeroes?

2. Originally Posted by crosser43
$y=sin2x$

1)What does the 2 indicate?

2) Is the period $\pi$?

3) Where are its zeroes?
Hi crosser43,

In $y=\sin bx$, b indicates the period of the sine curve.

In $y=\sin 2x$, the period is 2.

The period of the sine curve is the length of one cycle of the curve. The natural period of the sine curve is $2\pi$. So, a coefficient of b=1 is equivalent to a period of $2\pi$.

To get the period of the sine curve for any coefficient b, just divide $2\pi$ by the coefficient b to get the new period of the curve.

So, the period of $y=\sin 2x$ is $\frac{2\pi}{2}=\pi$

The coefficient b and the period of the sine curve have an inverse relationship, so as b gets smaller, the length of one cycle of the curve gets bigger. Likewise, as you increase b, the period will decrease.

The zeros of the curve in the interval $0 \le x \le 2\pi$ are $\{0, \frac{\pi}{2}, \pi , \frac{3\pi}{2}, 2\pi\}$.

Just click on the attachments. They should clear up (I hope).