I am currently teaching trigonometry in my IB class, and I find it crucial that students be able to apply their knowledge of how to write equations of sine functions (e.g. y = a*sin(b(x-c))+d) to real-world problems.
I created problems based on windmills, AC household voltage, the motion of tides, and then I included a spiral review question requiring them to solve a trigonometric equation over a given domain.
Note: the motion of tides is not strictly based on a single sinusoid, but the exerci