In this article, the authors present a lesson whose goal is to utilise a scientific environment to immerse a trigonometry student in the process of mathematical modelling. The scientific environment utilised during this activity is a physics simulation called "Wave on a String" created by the PhET Interactive Simulations Project at Colorado University at Boulder and available free on the Internet. The outline of the activity, situated in inductive inquiry, is written in a format that is adaptable to various classroom settings; students can work independently in front of a computer or in groups. If a computer lab is not available, the simulation can be projected on a screen in a regular math classroom. In all of these settings, the teacher takes the role of a facilitator. Although, the lesson was developed following trigonometry curriculum in the US, its cognitive learning objectives fit well into the scope of the proposed Australian mathematics curriculum that also emphasises the development of the skills of mathematical modelling, data collection, and analysis. The activity, presenting applications of periodic functions in a non-geometric setting, can be conducted in Australian Upper Secondary or Lower Tertiary Trigonometry courses. With some extensions, including dumped oscillation, its content will fit into Queensland Mathematics C syllabus, in particular the section of Advanced Periodic and Exponential Functions. (Contains 4 figures.)