The equation you've provided, \( y = \sin\left(\frac{n}{d}x\right) \), represents a sinusoidal function, which is a type of periodic function that describes a smooth, repetitive oscillation. Here's a breakdown of the components of this function:
- \( y \): This is the dependent variable, representing the value of the function at any given point \( x \).
- \( \sin \): This is the sine function, which is one of the basic trigonometric functions. It takes an angle as input and returns a value between -1 and 1.
- \( \frac{n}{d} \): This is the frequency factor of the sine function. The frequency of a sinusoidal function is the number of complete cycles it completes in a given interval. In this case, the frequency is \( \frac{n}{d} \) cycles per unit of \( x \). The value of \( n \) and \( d \) determines the rate at which the sine function oscillates.
- \( x \): This is the independent variable, typically representing the angle in radians or degrees, depending on the context. In this equation, \( x \) is the input to the sine function.
The graph of this function will be a sinusoidal wave that oscillates \( \frac{n}{d} \) times between each \( 2\pi \) units of \( x \). The amplitude of the wave (the maximum height of the wave above and below the centerline) is 1, since the sine function has a maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of -1.
If \( n \) and \( d \) are integers, the function will have \( n \) peaks and \( n \) troughs between \( 0 \) and \( 2\pi \). If \( n \) and \( d \) are not integers, the function will still oscillate \( \frac{n}{d} \) times between \( 0 \) and \( 2\pi \), but the peaks and troughs may not align with integer values of \( x \).
For example, if \( n = 2 \) and \( d = 1 \), the function \( y = \sin(2x) \) would have two cycles between \( 0 \) and \( 2\pi \), because the frequency is 2. If \( n = 1 \) and \( d = 2 \), the function \( y = \sin\left(\frac{1}{2}x\right) \) would have one cycle between \( 0 \) and \( 4\pi \), because the frequency is \( \frac{1}{2} \).
The graph of \( y = \sin\left(\frac{n}{d}x\right) \) will be similar to that of \( y = \sin(x) \), but it will be stretched or compressed horizontally depending on the value of \( \frac{n}{d} \). If \( \frac{n}{d} > 1 \), the graph will be compressed (the cycles will be closer together), and if \( \frac{n}{d} < 1 \), the graph will be stretched (the cycles will be farther apart).
This type of function is commonly used in physics, engineering, and other fields to model periodic phenomena such as waves, vibrations, and oscillations.