# Creating Trig Tutorial

1. Apr 26, 2004

### recon

[EDIT: Scroll down to see my subsequent postings if you are too lazy to read this.]

I am desperately in need of help.

Some weeks ago, I inadvertently signed up to do a mathematics project, not realising that it really was about designing tutorials (preferably interactive) for students. I was having my exams at the time, so I did not read the application form thoroughly, but just glanced through it (we were doing three two-hour long papers a day!). I swear that there was nothing in the form that said anything about designing tutorials, but the mathematics teacher wants me to do just that for my project.

The original project that I had in mind was suggested by DamnedCharming here on PF and it can be found here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=16435

It's really just about numerically integrating $$\frac{d^2x}{dt^2} = -x$$ to get a $$x = cos (t)$$ curve.

I have no choice but to design a tutorial for trigonometry, because I have already chosen the title (Introduction to Trigonometry and Deriving the Cos(x) and Sin(x) curve) two weeks ago and cannot change it. My teacher wants me to use the Macromedia Flash program so I'm learning that from basic right now.

I was thinking of maybe doing the tutorial (in Macromedia Flash of-course) with a little bit of trig-related history, introducing the sine and cosine functions and the tangent function, but then concentrating more on the sine and cosine functions, and then eventually using calculus to show them how a cosine or sine curve can be drawn in Excel(without using the COS function they have). It's a little impractical not to use the COS function in Excel, but this method IS an alternative even though it is not as accurate.

I'm trying to make my tutorial as witty as possible, and I'll also shoot a video of myself for the intro. Is importing a .mov or .avi file into Flash possible? Does anyone know any interesting Trigonometry-related history?

I would appreciate it if anyone could suggest any witty lines or analogies to use in this tutorial

Last edited: Apr 27, 2004
2. Apr 26, 2004