Scribd
Upload
19 views

Lecture 6

Uploaded by

mosesdayes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views

Lecture 6

Uploaded by

mosesdayes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

Math 211: MC & LA

Lines and Planes in space

Patrick Dwomfuor

Department of Engineering
Ashesi University

September 27, 2022

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 1/9
Equation of lines in the Plane (2D)
We can write the equation of a line in 2D using:
the slope and a point on the line or an intercept on the y -axis,
two points on the line and
the direction of the line and a point through which the line passes.
NB: In 2D, we usually use the concept of slope to describe the orientation
or direction of a line.
2
Consider the line through the point (2, −1) with slope . We can form the
3
equation of a line in different ways.

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 2/9
Vector-Valued Functions
Imagine a projectile moving along a path in space; it could be an electron,
a comet, a soccer ball or a rocket. If you take a snapshot of the object, its
position is described by a static position vector r = ⟨x, y , z⟩. However, if
you want to describe the full trajectory of the object as it unfolds in time,
you must represent the object’s position with a vector-valued function
such as r(t) = ⟨x(t), y (t), z(t)⟩ whose components change in time.

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 3/9
Vector-Valued Functions

A function of the form r(t) = ⟨x(t), y (t), z(t)⟩ may be viewed in two
ways.
It is a set of three parametric equations that describe a curve in space.
It is also a vector-valued function, which means that the three
dependent variables (x, y , z) are the components of r and each
component varies with respect to a single independent variable t
(that often represents time).

A vector-valued function
A vector-valued function is a set of parametric equations written in
vector form.

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 4/9
Lines in space (3D)

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 5/9
Curves in Space
The general vector-valued functions is of the form
r(t) = ⟨f (t), g (t), h(t)⟩ = f (t)i + g (t)j + h(t)k,
where f , g and h are defined on the interval a ≤ t ≤ b. The domain of r
is the largest set of values of t on which all of f , g and h are defined.

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 6/9
Calculus of Vector-Valued Functions
Limit of a Vector-Valued Function
A vector-valued function r approaches the limit L as t approaches a,
written as lim r(t) = L, provided lim |r(t) − L| = 0.
t→a t→a

Derivative and Tangent Vector


Let r(t) = f (t) i + g (t) j + h(t) k, where f , g and h are differentiable
functions on (a, b). Then r has a derivative (or is differentiable) on
(a, b) and r′ (t) = f ′ (t) i + g ′ (t) j + h′ (t) k,
Provided r′ (t) ̸= 0, r′ (t) is a tangent vector at the point corresponding
to r(t).

Unit Tangent Vector


Let r(t) = f (t) i + g (t) j + h(t) k, be a smooth parameterized curve, for
a ≤ t ≤ b). The unit tangent vector for a particular value of t is
r′ (t)
T(t) = ′ .
|r (t)|
Patrick Dwomfuor (Department
Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 7/9
Motion in Space
Position, Velocity, Speed, Acceleration
Let the position of an object moving in three-dimensional space be given
by r(t) = ⟨x(t), y (t), z(t)⟩, for t ≥ 0. The velocity of the object is
v(t) = r′ (t) = ⟨x ′ (t), y ′ (t), h′ (t)⟩.
The speed of the object is the scalar function
q
|v(t)| = x ′ (t)2 + y ′ (t)2 + h′ (t)2 .
The acceleration of the object is a(t) = v′ (t) = r′′ (t).

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 8/9
Length of Curves
Arc Length for Vector Functions
Consider the parameterized curve r(t) = ⟨x(t), y (t), z(t)⟩, where x ′ , y ′
and z ′ are continuous on a ≤ t ≤ b. The arc length of the curve is
Z bq Z b
L= x ′ (t)2 + y ′ (t)2 + z ′ (t)2 dt = |r′ (t)|dt.
a a

Arc Length as a Function of a Parameter


Let r(t) describe a smooth curve, for t ≥ a. The arc length is given by
Z t
s(t) = |v(u)|du,
a

ds
where |v| = r′ . Equivalently, = |v(t)|. If |v(t)| is a scalar, for all t ≥ a,
dt
then the parameter t can be written as a function of arc length s(t).

Patrick Dwomfuor (Department


Math 211:
of MC
Engineering
& LA September 27, 2022
Ashesi University) 9/9

You might also like