The sine and cosine functions have several distinct characteristics: They are periodic functions with a period of 2π. ... The graph of y = sin x is symmetric about the origin, because it is an odd function. The graph of y = cos x is symmetric about the y-axis, because it is an even function.
- sin(x) is the ratio of the opposite leg to the hypotenuse in a right triangle, while cos(x) is the ratio of the adjacent leg to the hypotenuse in a right triangle.
-The graph of y = sin(x) at x = 0 starts at the origin, and then increases, while the graph of y = cos(x) starts at a max, and then decreases.
Here's a 3rd: sin(x) is the cofunction of cos(x), which means that sin(x) = cos(90-x). This also shows that they are different.
