Chapter 12: Problem 75
Tangent lines Find an equation of the line tangent to the curve at the point corresponding to the given value of \(t\). $$x=\cos t+t \sin t, y=\sin t-t \cos t ; t=\pi / 4$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
Answer: The equation of the tangent line at \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\) is \(y = x - \sqrt{2}\).
Step by step solution
01
Find the point on the curve corresponding to \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\)
To find the point on the curve corresponding to \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\), we need to plug \(\frac{\pi}{4}\) into the expressions for \(x(t)\) and \(y(t)\):
$$x(t) = \cos t + t \sin t$$
$$x(\frac{\pi}{4}) = \cos(\frac{\pi}{4}) + \frac{\pi}{4}\sin(\frac{\pi}{4}) = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}+\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}$$
$$y(t) = \sin t - t \cos t$$
$$y(\frac{\pi}{4}) = \sin(\frac{\pi}{4}) - \frac{\pi}{4}\cos(\frac{\pi}{4}) = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}-\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}$$
So the point on the curve corresponding to \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\) is:
$$(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}+\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}, \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}-\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8})$$
02
Find the slope of the tangent line
To find the slope of the tangent line, we need to compute the derivatives of \(x(t)\) and \(y(t)\) with respect to \(t\):
$$\frac{dx}{dt} = -\sin t + \sin t + t \cos t = t\cos t$$
$$\frac{dy}{dt}=\cos t - \cos t + t \sin t=t\sin t$$
Now we can find the slope of the tangent line at \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\):
$$\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{\frac{dy}{dt}}{\frac{dx}{dt}} = \frac{t\sin t}{t\cos t} = \frac{\sin t}{\cos t}$$
Substituting \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\) into the expression for the slope:
$$\frac{dy}{dx}=\frac{\sin(\frac{\pi}{4})}{\cos(\frac{\pi}{4})} = 1$$
So the slope of the tangent line at \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\) is \(1\).
03
Find the equation of the tangent line
Now that we have the point on the curve and the slope of the tangent line, we can use the point-slope form of a line to find the equation of the tangent line:
$$y-y_1 = m(x-x_1)$$
Plugging in the point \((\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}+\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}, \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}-\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8})\) and the slope \(m=1\):
$$y-\left(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}-\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}\right) = 1\left(x-\left(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}+\frac{\pi\sqrt{2}}{8}\right)\right)$$
Simplify the expression:
$$y = x - \sqrt{2}$$
Thus, the equation of the tangent line to the curve at \(t=\frac{\pi}{4}\) is:
$$y = x - \sqrt{2}$$
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Differentiation
Differentiation is the process of finding the derivative of a function, which tells us how the function changes at any given point. In this problem, we are dealing with parametric equations, so we find derivatives of both the x and y components with respect to the parameter \(t\). This helps us understand the rate of change in each direction.
For differentiation, we apply the basic rules:
For differentiation, we apply the basic rules:
- The derivative of \(\cos t\) is \(-\sin t\).
- The derivative of \(\sin t\) is \(\cos t\).
- The derivative of \(t\) is \(1\), and using the product rule for terms like \(t \sin t\).
Parametric Equations
Parametric equations allow us to describe curves in terms of a third variable, usually \(t\). This approach gives flexibility in representing complex curves:
- The x-component is given by \(x = \cos t + t \sin t\).
- The y-component is \(y = \sin t - t \cos t\).
Slope of Tangent Line
The slope of the tangent line describes the steepness and direction at any point on the curve. It tells us how the y-component of the curve changes with the x-component.
To find it, we divide the derivative of \(y\) by the derivative of \(x\):
To find it, we divide the derivative of \(y\) by the derivative of \(x\):
- The formula is \(\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{\frac{dy}{dt}}{\frac{dx}{dt}}\).
Point-Slope Form
The point-slope form gives us an easy way to write the equation of a line when we know:
Ultimately, we get the equation \(y = x - \sqrt{2}\), describing the tangent line. The point-slope form makes it straightforward to find this equation, ensuring students understand how to connect slopes and points seamlessly.
- A specific point \((x_1, y_1)\) on the line.
- The slope \(m\) of the line.
Ultimately, we get the equation \(y = x - \sqrt{2}\), describing the tangent line. The point-slope form makes it straightforward to find this equation, ensuring students understand how to connect slopes and points seamlessly.