Tides in a specific location can be approximated using the periodic function shown on the graph.
On a coordinate plane, a curve starts at (0, 0.5). It increases to y = 2.4 and then decreases to 0.5. It goes through 2 cycles.
What is the interpretation of the amplitude in this application?
the time between high tides
the time between high tide and low tide
the sum of the heights at high tide and low tide
the distance halfway between the height at high tide and low tide

Sinusoidal functions are very useful for representing real-world scenarios that involve undulating values, such as tides. We can use the properties of wave functions to understand these tides.

Amplitude is one property of a wave that refers to the distance between the crest of the wave and its equilibrium point. It is also half the vertical distance between a positive crest and a negative crest.

Because the y-value in this graph refers to the height of the tides, and high tide occurs at the positive crest while low tide occurs at the negative crest, the amplitude of the wave refers to half the distance between high and low tide.