Amplitude is the term for the part of a wave that is furthest away from the baseline. The baseline is that part of the wave that is in the exact middle of the wave function. Amplitude can also be thought of as the \"height\" of the wave. Calculating amplitude in some equations is as easy as pulling out a number, if the equation follows a certain pattern. For example, the general equation Y= baseline + Amplitude + sin (frequency X + offset) tells you exactly where the Amplitude will be. It's unusual to see an equation in this form, however, so most of the time you'll have to use a little mathematics to find the amplitude.
Instructions
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1
Draw a table of your x and y values. A table of values is made by inserting different values of x into the equation and computing the results. For example, for the equation y=sin(x + ? / 2), the first two x-values (1 and 2) are:
sin(1 + pi / 2) = 0.54
sin(2 + pi / 2) = -0.42.
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2
Continue making your table of values until the numbers start to repeat. This will give you a full revolution of your wave function (a revolution will include the highest and the lowest points).
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3
Locate the highest number in the table of values. That value will be the wave's amplitude. For the given function, y=sin(x + pi / 2), the amplitude is 1.