15/5/2020 Curvature and Radius of Curvature

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Calculus
Applications of the Derivative

Curvature and Radius of Curvature

Consider a plane curve defined by the equation y = f (x) . Suppose that the tangent
line is drawn to the curve at a point M (x, y) . The tangent forms an angle α with the
horizontal axis (Figure 1).

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15/5/2020 Curvature and Radius of Curvature

Figure 1.

At the displacement Δs along the arc of the curve, the point M moves to the point M 1.

The position of the tangent line also changes: the angle of inclination of the tangent to
the positive x − axis at the point M will be α + Δα. Thus, as the point moves by the
1

distance Δs, the tangent rotates by the angle Δα. (The angle α is supposed to be
increasing when rotating counterclockwise.)

Δα
The absolute value of the ratio is called the mean curvature of the arc M M 1. In the
Δs

limit as Δs → 0, we obtain the curvature of the curve at the point M :

∣ Δα ∣
K = lim ∣ ∣.
Δs→0 ∣ Δs ∣

From this definition it follows that the curvature at a point of a curve characterizes the
speed of rotation of the tangent of the curve at this point.

For a plane curve given by the equation y = f (x) , the curvature at a point M (x, y) is
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expressed in terms of the first and second derivatives of the function f (x) by the
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formula
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15/5/2020 Curvature and Radius of Curvature
′′
|y (x)|
K = .
3

2 2
′
[1 + (y (x)) ]

If a curve is defined in parametric form by the equations x = x (t) , y = y (t) , then its
curvature at any point M (x, y) is given by

′ ′′ ′ ′′
|x y − y x |
K = .
3

2 2 2
[(x ′ ) + (y ′ ) ]

If a curve is given by the polar equation r = r (θ) , the curvature is calculated by the
formula

2
∣ r2 + 2(r′ ) ′′
− rr ∣
∣ ∣
K = .
3

2 2
[r2 + (r′ ) ]

The radius of curvature of a curve at a point M (x, y) is called the inverse of the
curvature K of the curve at this point:

1
R = .
K

Hence for plane curves given by the explicit equation y = f (x) , the radius of curvature
at a point M (x, y) is given by the following expression:

′ 2 2
[1 + (y (x)) ]

R = .
′′
|y (x)|

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Example 1
Calculate the curvature of the ellipse

2 2
x y
+ = 1
2 2
a b

at its vertices.

Example 2
Find the curvature and radius of curvature of the parabola y = x
2
at the origin.

Example 3
Find the curvature and radius of curvature of the curve y = cos mx at a maximum
point.

Example 4
Calculate the curvature and radius of curvature of the graph of the function y = √x

at x = 1.

Example 5
Consider the curve given by the equation y 2
+ x
3
= 0. Find its curvature at the point
(−1, 1) .

Example 6
Find the curvature of the cardioid r = a (1 + cos θ) at θ = 0.

Example 7
Find the radius of curvature of the cycloid

x = a (t − sin t) , y = a (1 − cos t) .

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Example 8
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15/5/2020 Curvature and Radius of Curvature

Determine the curvature of the curve y = arctan x at x = 0 and at infinity.

Example 9
Determine the least radius of curvature of the exponential function y x
= e .

Example 10
Find the least radius of curvature of the cubic parabola y = x .
3

Example 1.
Calculate the curvature of the ellipse

2 2
x y
+ = 1
2 2
a b

at its vertices.

Solution.
Obviously, it suffices to find the curvature of the ellipse at points A (a, 0) and B (0, b)
(Figure 2), because due to the symmetry of the curve, the curvature at the two opposite
vertices of the ellipse will be the same.

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Figure 2.
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15/5/2020 Curvature and Radius of Curvature

To calculate the curvature, it is convenient to pass from the canonical equation of the
ellipse to the equation in parametric form:

x = a cos t, y = b sin t,

where t is a parameter. The parameter has the value t = 0 at the point A (a, 0) and is
π
equal to t = at the point B (0, b) .
2

Find the first and second derivatives:

′ ′ ′ ′′ ′′ ′
x = x = (a cos t) = −a sin t, x = x = (−a sin t) = −a cos t;
t tt

′ ′ ′′ ′
′ ′′
y = yt = (b sin t) = b cos t, x = x tt = (b cos t) = −b sin t.

The curvature of a parametrically defined curve is expressed by the formulas

′ ′′ ′ ′′
|x y − y x |
K = .
3

2 2 2
′ ′
[(x ) + (y ) ]

Substituting the above derivatives, we get:

22 2 2
∣
∣ ab sin t + ab cos t∣
∣ ∣
∣ ab (sin t + cos t)∣
∣ ab
K = = = .
3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
(a sin t + b cos t) (a sin t + b cos t) (a sin t + b cos t)

Now we calculate the values of the curvature at the vertices A (a, 0) and B (0, b) :

ab ab ab a
K (A) = K (t = 0) = = = = ;
3 3 3 2
2 2
b b
2 2 2 2 2
(a sin 0 + b cos 0) (b )

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ab
We'll assume you're
ab
ok with
ab
this, but
b
you can
K (B) = K (t = ) = = = = .
opt-out
2 if you wish.
2
Accept
2 π 2
Reject
2 π
3
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2
3
a
3
a
2

(a sin + b cos )
2 (a ) 2

2 2

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Problem 1 Problems 2-10

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