AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Part A: 35 minutes
6 multiple choice and 1 free response
A calculator may be required for some questions on this section.

1. (Topic 3.1) The function f is periodic with a 4. (Topic 3.4) Consider the function f defined by
period of 4. One cycle of the graph of y = f (x), f (x) = cos (x). Which of the following is a
where 1 ≤ x ≤ 5, is shown in the xy-plane. valid interpretation of f (6)?
y (A) f (6) = 0.995, which means that for an an-
gle in standard position measuring 6 radi-
2 ans, the intersection of the terminal ray and
the unit circle will have a vertical displace-
1 ment of 0.995 from the x-axis.
x (B) f (6) = 0.995, which means that for an an-
1 2 3 4 5 gle in standard position measuring 6 radi-
−1 ans, the intersection of the terminal ray and
the unit circle will have a horizontal dis-
−2 placement of 0.995 from the y-axis.
(C) f (6) = 0.960, which means that for an an-
What is the value of f (26.5)? gle in standard position measuring 6 radi-
(A) 0.25 (B) 0.5 (C) 1 (D) 1.2 ans, the intersection of the terminal ray and
the unit circle will have a vertical displace-
ment of 0.960 from the x-axis.
2. (Topic 3.2) The point P is at the intersection
of an angle α in standard position and a circle (D) f (6) = 0.960, which means that for an an-
with a radius of 1. The coordinates of P are gle in standard position measuring 6 radi-
(0.96, 0.28). If f is the function f (θ) = tan θ, ans, the intersection of the terminal ray and
what is the value of f (α)? the unit circle will have a horizontal dis-
(A) 0.28 (B) 0.292 (C) 0.96 (D) 3.429 placement of 0.960 from the y-axis.

3. (Topic 3.3) A circle centered at the origin with 5. (Topic 3.7) An antique seller has a piece of
radius 2 is drawn in the xy-plane. Point A is memorabilia they are looking to sell. They
the intersection of the terminal ray of an angle have found that, over the last few months, the
θ measuring 2.25 radians and the circle. price of similar memorabilia has varied seem-
ingly periodically on a website where memora-
y
bilia is sold. The table below provides values
A of the price, in dollars, of similar memorabilia
on the website.

2 θ Month t 2 3 5 7 11
Price p $45 $53 $50 $30 $45
x
O
The seller is unsure of what exactly the period
would be, so they use technology to create a
regression model p(t) = a sin (bt + c) + d using
all five data points to model the price p based
on the month t. Based on the regression model,
Approximately what is the y-coordinate of A? which of the following is the best estimate for
(A) 0.628 the difference between the highest price and
the lowest price that similar memorabilia has
(B) 0.778
sold for?
(C) 1.256 (A) $15 (B) $31 (C) $40 (D) $55
(D) 1.556
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

6. (Topic 3.5) For a car that is idling, the height

h of a piston, which goes up and down period-
ically, can be modeled by the function
h(t) = 0.6 sin (86.080t) + 0.55, where t is time
in seconds and h is in inches. Which of the fol-
lowing gives the value of the frequency of h?
(A) 0.036
(B) 0.073
(C) 6.850
(D) 13.700

Free Response Part A: Instructions

• Show all of your work. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your
responses as well as your answers. Answers without supporting work may not receive credit in
cases where supporting work is requested.
• Unless otherwise specified, the domain of a function f is assumed to be the set of all real numbers
x for which f (x) is a real number.
• Avoid rounding intermediate computations on the way to the final result. Unless otherwise specified,
any decimal approximations reported in your work should be accurate to three places after the
decimal point.
• It may be helpful to use your graphing calculator to store information such as computed values
for constants, functions you are working with, solutions to equations, and any intermediate values.
Computations with the graphing calculator that use the stored information help to maintain as
much precision as possible and ensure the desired accuracy in final answers.

Suppose a particle P is traveling horizontally along the x-axis, periodically going to the left and right
of the origin O, as pictured below.

P
O (x(t), 0)

The position of P can be modeled by

π 
x(t) = 8 sin (t − 4)
6
for t ≥ 0, where t is time in seconds and x is the particle’s position on the x-axis at (x, 0).
(A) Find the period of x(t) and interpret what it means in the context of the particle’s position.
(B) i. What is the distance between the two farthest points the particle will reach on the left and
right of the origin? Justify your answer.
ii. What is the first time t at which the particle will be at the point (6, 0)?
(C) i. On the interval 1 ≤ t ≤ 13, find all times t at which x(t) is negative and decreasing.
ii. Consider the times t you identified in (a).
a. For these times t, is the particle moving to the left or the right? Justify your answer.
b. For these times t, is the particle getting closer to or farther from the origin? Justify your
answer.
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Part B: 55 minutes
14 multiple choice and 1 free response
A calculator is prohibited on this section.

7. (Topic 3.1) The periodic function g satisfies 11. (Topic 3.3) Triangle OAB is shown in the co-
g(x) = g(x + k) for all integers of the form ordinate plane.
k = 3n, where n is a whole number. Which of
the following could be the period of g? y
(A) 3 (B) 6 (C) 9 (D) 12 A

8. (Topic 3.2) Shown below is a circle with radius 2

r and an angle in standard position measuring θ
θ radians. The length of minor arc AB, which x
is subtended by the angle AOB, is a. Which of O B
the following equations could be used to find
the value of a?
y
A
a
The angle θ measures 1 radian and the circle
θ has a radius of 2. Which of the following is
x an expression for the area of triangle OAB?
O r B (Note: The area of a triangle is A = 12 bh.)
1
(A) 2 sin 1 cos 1
(B) sin 1 cos 1
(A) a = θr (B) a = θr (C) 2 sin 1 cos 1
(C) a = θr (D) a = θ (D) 4 sin 1 cos 1

9. (Topic 3.2) A circle with center O is centered 12. (Topic 3.4) Let f be the function given by
at the origin with a radius of 4. The point A f (θ) = cos θ. Which of the following describes
lies at the intersection of the terminal ray of an the relationship between the inputs and out-
angle in standard position measuring θ radians
√
puts of f over one cycle of its graph?
and the circle. If A has coordinates 2, 2 3 ,
what is the value (A) As the inputs increase from 0 to π, the out-
√ of sin θ? √
(A) 12 (B) 23 (C) 2 (D) 2 3 puts will decrease, and as the inputs
increase from π to 2π, the outputs will in-
crease.
10. (Topic 3.3) In the xy-plane, an angle in stan- (B) As the inputs increase from 0 to π, the out-
dard position measuring 7π 6 radians intersects puts will increase, and as the inputs
a circle centered at the origin with a radius of increase for π to 2π, the outputs will de-
1. What are the coordinates of the point of in- crease.
tersection of the terminal ray of the angle and
(C) As the inputs increase from −1 to 0, the
the circle? 
√ outputs will decrease, and as the inputs
3
(A) − 12 , 2 increase from 0 to 1, the outputs will in-
√
crease.
 
3 1
(B) − 2 , 2
 √  (D) As the inputs increase from −1 to 0, the
(C) − 21 , − 23 outputs will increase, and as the inputs
 √  increase from 0 to 1, the outputs will de-
(D) − 23 , − 12 crease.
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

13. (Topic 3.4) Two angles measuring α and β are 18. (Topic 3.6) The function f expressed as
graphed in standard position in the xy-plane. f (x) = sin (b(x + c)) is graphed below.
If 3π
2 < α < β < 2π, which of the following
must be true? y
(A) cos α < cos β < 0 1
(B) 0 < cos α < cos β
(C) cos β < cos α < 0 x
π π
2
(D) 0 < cos β < cos α
−1

14. (Topic 3.5) Consider the function f given by

Which of the following could be the values of
f (θ) = sin (θ − c) for a constant c. For which
b and c?
of the following values of c will f (θ) = cos (θ)?
π
(A) π2 (B) π (C) 3π (D) 2π (A) b = 2 and c = 4
2
(B) b = 2 and c = − π4
1 π
15. (Topic 3.5) The function h is defined by (C) b = 2 and c = 4
1
h(θ) = cos θ for all θ. The graph of h con- (D) b = 2 and c = − π4
tains the point (ω, h(ω)) for some angle ω > 0.
Which of the following is true about the graph
of h? 19. (Topic 3.7) The table displays the daily aver-
(A) The graph of h contains the point age temperature D, in degrees Fahrenheit, for
(−ω, h(ω)) because h is an odd function. each month in a certain city.
(B) The graph of h contains the point
Month t D (F ◦ )
(−ω, h(ω)) because h is an even function.
1 45
(C) The graph of h contains the point 2 43
(−ω, −h(ω)) because h is an odd function. 3 46
(D) The graph of h contains the point 4 54
(−ω, −h(ω)) because h is an even function. 5 62
6 70
7 77
16. (Topic 3.6) The height of the tide on one coast-
8 79
line can be modeled by the function
2π

9 78
h(t) = 1.25 sin 12.25 (t − 1.5) + 1.5, where h
is height in feet and t is time in hours. What 10 72
is the maximum tide height on this coastline? 11 62
(A) 1.5 feet (B) 2.5 feet 12 53
(C) 2.75 feet (D) 3 feet
A sinusoidal function D(t) = a sin (b(t + c))+d
is going to be used to model the daily aver-
17. (Topic 3.6) The function f is defined by age temperature D based on the month t. The
f (x) = cos (x). In the xy-plane, the graph of function will use the assumption that the max-
the function g is the image of the graph of f imum of D is 79, the minimum of D is 43, and
after a phase shift of + π3 and a horizontal di- the period is 12. Which of the following is the
lation by a factor of 2. Which of the following best choice for the value of the constant c?
could define g? (A) −8 (B) −5 (C) −3 (D) −2
(A) g(x) = cos 2 x − π3

(B) g(x) = cos 2 x + π3

(C) g(x) = cos 12 x − π3

(D) g(x) = cos 12 x + π3

AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

20. (Topic 3.7) An architect is designing a skate

park, and one obstacle in the park will be a
concrete wave that skateboarders can ride on.
The architect is going to use a sinusoidal func-
tion to design the wave. The inputs of the func-
tion will be x, the distance along the ground,
so that the x-axis will represent the ground,
and the outputs will be h, the height above
the ground. The wave will start, when x = 0,
at its peak 3 feet off the ground. The wave
will then reach the ground 8 feet away, when
x = 8. The wave will continue up to its next
peak, after which it will continue to decrease
and increase periodically. Which of the follow-
ing sinusoidal functions h(x) will satisfy the
architect’s design?
(A) h(x) = 3 cos 2π


8 · x

(B) h(x) = 3 cos 2π 16 · x

(C) h(x) = 1.5 cos 2π 8 · x
+ 1.5
2π
(D) h(x) = 1.5 cos 16 · x + 1.5

Free Response Part B - Instructions

• Show all of your work. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your responses
as well as your answers. Answers without supporting work may not receive credit in cases where
supporting work is requested.

• Unless otherwise specified, the domain of a function f is assumed to be the set of all real numbers x
for which f (x) is a real number.

Trough

An overshot water mill is a wheel that rotates clockwise as water is fed into it from a trough. Point A is
on the tip of the water wheel 3 feet above the water at time t = 0 seconds, as indicated in the figure. The
wheel has a diameter of 8 feet, which means that point A will be −1 feet, or 1 foot under water, at its lowest
point. The wheel completes two full rotations every minute. As the wheel rotates at a constant speed, the
height of A with respect to the water, including sign, periodically increases and decreases.
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

The sinusoidal function h models the signed distance between A and the surface of the water, in feet, as a
function of time t in seconds.
(A) The graph of h and its dashed midline for two full cycles is shown. Five points, F, G, J, K, and P , are
labeled on the graph. No scale is indicated, and no axes are presented.

Determine possible coordinates (t, h(t)) for the five points: F, G, J, K, and P .

F J P

(B) The function h can be written in the form h(t) = a sin (b(t + c)) + d. Find values of constants a, b, c,
and d.

(C) Refer to the graph of h in part (A). The t-coordinate of F is tF , and the t-coordinate of G is tG .
(i) On the interval (tF , tG ), which of the following is true about h?
a. h is greater than 3 with a positive rate of change.
b. h is greater than 3 with a negative rate of change.
c. h is less than 3 with a positive rate of change.
d. h is less than 3 with a negative rate of change.
(ii) Describe how the rate of change of h is changing on the interval (tF , tG ).
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Multiple Choice

1. 6. 11. 16.
2. 7. 12. 17.

3. 8. 13. 18.
4. 9. 14. 19.
5. 10. 15. 20.
AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Free Response Part A

AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Free Response Part B

AP Precalculus Unit 3A Test α 2023-24 Name

Answers and Scoring

1. C 6. D 11. C 16. C
2. B 7. A 12. A 17. C

3. D 8. A 13. B 18. B
4. D 9. B 14. C 19. B
5. B 10. D 15. B 20. D

Free Response Part A

2π
(A) i. The period is π/6 = 12. This means it takes 12 seconds for 1 point for value and inter-
the particle to return back to its starting position. pretation

(B) i. The particle will be farthest to the right at (8, 0) and farthest
1 point with justification
to the left at (−8, 0), so the distance between these points 16.

ii. Graphing x(t) and y = 6 results in a first intersection at 1 point with x(t) = 6 indi-
t = 5.620. The particle will first be at (6, 0) at time t = 5.620. cated

(C) i. The graph of x(t) is negative and decreasing for 10 ≤ t ≤ 13. 1 point

ii. a. Because x(t) < 0 on this interval, the particle is to the left
1 point with justification
of the origin.

b. Because x(t) is also decreasing on this interval, it’s position

is getting more negative. Therefore, the particle will be getting 1 point with justification
further from the origin.

Free Response Part B

(A) The period is 30 seconds and the maximum and minimum are 7
and −1, respectively. Therefore, the points are F (0, 3), G(7.5, −1), 1 point for h(t)-coordinates
J(15, 3), K(22.5, 7), and P (30, 3).
1 point for t-coordinates

2π π π


(B) a = −4, b = 30 = 15 , c = 0, d = 3, so h(t) = −3 sin 15 t +3 1 point for a and d
1 point for b

(C) i. Choice d. 1 point

ii. The rate of change of h is decreasing with an increasing rate of

1 point
change on the interval (tF , tG ).