Ferris Wheel Trig Problem
Your ride on a clockwise Ferris wheel begins at the top of the ride, and your height is described by the function $$h(t)=4\cos{\left(\frac{\pi}{18}t\right)}+50,$$ where $h$ is in feet, and $t$ is in seconds.
Your friends are on the same ride, but they are at the “11 o’clock” position when the ride begins. Write a function that describes THEIR height as a function of the number of seconds since the ride began.
$\endgroup$ 11 Answer
$\begingroup$Note that it takes $2\pi/(\pi/18)=36$ seconds to complete one ride and, proportionally, $3 $ seconds between 11 and 12 o’clock.
Thus, the friends’ height function is given by
$$h_f(t)=4\cos{\left(\frac{\pi}{18}(t-3)\right)}+50$$
assuming clockwise rotation.
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