Chapter 3: Problem 167
A person on a hang glider is spiraling upward as a result of the rapidly rising air on a path having position vector \(\mathbf{r}(t)=(3 \cos t) \mathbf{i}+(3 \sin t) \mathbf{j}+t^{2} \mathbf{k}\). The path is similar to that of a helix, although it is not a helix. The graph is shown here: Find the following quantities: The glider's speed at any time
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Understand the Problem
Calculate Velocity
Calculate Speed
Simplify the Speed Expression
Conclusion
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Velocity Vector
- The velocity vector, \( \mathbf{v}(t) \), is calculated by taking the derivative of the position vector \( \mathbf{r}(t) \) with respect to time \( t \).
- For the hang glider scenario, the position vector is \( \mathbf{r}(t) = (3 \cos t) \mathbf{i} + (3 \sin t) \mathbf{j} + t^2 \mathbf{k} \).
- When we differentiate each component separately, the resulting velocity vector is \( \mathbf{v}(t) = (-3 \sin t) \mathbf{i} + (3 \cos t) \mathbf{j} + 2t \mathbf{k} \).
Speed Calculation
- Given the velocity vector \( \mathbf{v}(t) = (-3 \sin t) \mathbf{i} + (3 \cos t) \mathbf{j} + 2t \mathbf{k} \), the speed is found using the formula for vector magnitude.
- The calculation involves squaring each component of \( \mathbf{v}(t) \), summing them up, and finding the square root of that sum.
Vector Magnitude
- This calculation involves squaring each component of the vector, adding the squares, and then taking the square root of the result.
- For the glider's velocity vector, it results in \( \sqrt{(-3 \sin t)^2 + (3 \cos t)^2 + (2t)^2} \).
- Using trigonometric identity \( \sin^2 t + \cos^2 t = 1 \), further simplifies to \( \sqrt{9 + 4t^2} \).
Derivative of Position Vector
- Each component of the vector needs to be differentiated independently.
- For \( \mathbf{r}(t) = (3 \cos t) \mathbf{i} + (3 \sin t) \mathbf{j} + t^2 \mathbf{k} \), differentiating yields each part: \(-3 \sin t \), \(3 \cos t \), and \(2t\).