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Spin a point round a circle and record its height: amplitude, frequency, phase.
On the left, a point goes round a circle. Its height is copied across to a graph on the right, which scrolls with time, newest on the left. The trace is a sine wave. Sliders set the amplitude (the circle's radius), the frequency (turns per second) and the phase (where the point starts).
A circle's shadow draws a wave
InteractiveThe math, with your numbers
The angle in the sine is in radians: 2πf radians per second is one full turn every 1/f seconds.
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Want to know why it behaves like this?
The lesson “Sine Waves” explains it step by step: Why do springs, sound and light all follow the same curve?