Can anyone think of an oscillating function in nature excluding the predator prey model?

Question

I need this for my AP calculus class, and I can not come up with anything.

I need this for my AP calculus class, and I can not come up with anything. It has to deal with time and then something else, like distance, or anything thing like that. Like a sin wave but there are no sin waves in nature so I can not come up with a predicament to work.

Answer 1

there are many sine waves in nature

for instance, all orbits can be expressed as sine waves

the waves in the ocean have sinusoidal properties

vibration waves in the earth

all electromagnetic forces (like light, radio waves, etc) are described oscillating functions (thats why light has a "frequency")

their are many oscillating aspects of biological functions but they are often hard to model mathmatically, and describe the actual function

Answer 2

All oscillating (not necessarily with a fixed amplitude or with a single frequency) functions of time:


Solar insolation at the top of the atmosphere above a fixed point on the surface of the Earth (a complex oscillating function of the time of day, and time of year)

The surface area of the leaf canopy of a forest as a function ot time.

Snowpack depth at some point on the Earth where it snows.

The air temperature.

Sea level at some measurement point (i.e. tides)

Estrogen, progesterone levels in the blood of a pre-menapausal woman

Blood pressure in an animal

The polarity of the diople component of the Earth's magnetic field.

The electrical and magnetic fields of light

The vertical position of a particle of water on the surface of the ocean (waves)

The position of an atom in a solid (lattice vibrations)

The height above the horizon of the sun at noon at a given location on Earth.

The surface area of the moon that is illuminated, as viewed from the Earth

.....the list is endless.

Answer 3

Why would you say there are no sine waves in nature? If you made a plot of average daily temperatures for a particular location it would be a sine wave.

Answer 4

the only things I can think of in nature that turn from side to side without other parts moving are owls, praying mantis, things like that. I guess I am not much help... sorry
or do you mean stuff like waves or what happens in Antarctica?

Answer 5

A radiating electromagnetic field (aka, light), follows an oscillating function. It oscillates in space and time.

Answer 6

What about the waves
-- in/out oscillating function
dependent on gravity and
the moon's interaction?

Answer 7

Water vapour goes up, Rain comes down: Water cycle

Answer 8

Milankovitch cycles - long climatic cycles caused by changes in astronomical alignments.

Very interesting stuff - read more...

Answer 9

try a pendulum or an old clock where you have to turn a key inorder for it to work..

Answer 10

Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tide pools.