ABSTRACT
Periodic functions are used throughout engineering and science to describe oscillations, waves and other phenomena that exhibit periodicity. Understanding of continuous and discontinuous functions, odd and even functions and inverse functions are helpful in this – it's all part of the ‘language of engineering’. This chapter discusses standard curves and their equations – straight line, quadratic, cubic, trigonometric, circle, ellipse, hyperbola, rectangular hyperbola, logarithmic function, exponential function and polar curves. When a mathematical equation is known, co-ordinates may be calculated for a limited range of values, and the equation may be represented pictorially as a graph, within the range of calculated values. If a graph of a function has no sudden jumps or breaks it is called a continuous function, examples being the graphs of sine and cosine functions. Inverse trigonometric functions are periodic so it is necessary to specify the smallest or principal value of the angle.
