Chapter 8: Problem 44
Are length Find the length of the curve \(y=\ln (\sec x)\) \(0 \leq x \leq \pi / 4\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The length of the curve is 1 unit.
Step by step solution
01
Understand the Formula for Arc Length
The formula to find the length of a curve given by \( y=f(x) \) from \( x=a \) to \( x=b \) is:\[ L = \int_a^b \sqrt{1 + \left(f'(x)\right)^2} \, dx \]In this exercise, the curve is \( y = \ln(\sec x) \) and we need to find its length from \( x=0 \) to \( x=\frac{\pi}{4} \).
02
Compute the Derivative
Find the derivative of the function \( y=\ln(\sec x) \). Using the chain rule, the derivative is:\[ y' = \frac{d}{dx}(\ln(\sec x)) = \sec(x)\tan(x) \]
03
Set Up the Integrand
Substitute \( y' = \sec(x)\tan(x) \) into the integrand of the arc length formula:\[ \sqrt{1 + \left(\sec(x)\tan(x)\right)^2} = \sqrt{1 + \sec^2(x)\tan^2(x)} = \sqrt{\sec^2(x) + \sec^2(x)\tan^2(x)} = \sqrt{\sec^2(x)(1 + \tan^2(x))} = \sqrt{\sec^2(x)\sec^2(x)} = \sec^2(x)\]This is because \( 1 + \tan^2(x) = \sec^2(x) \).
04
Integrate to Find the Arc Length
Integrate \( \sec^2(x) \) over the interval \( [0, \frac{\pi}{4}] \):\[ L = \int_0^{\pi/4} \sec^2(x) \, dx = \left[ \tan(x) \right]_0^{\pi/4} = \tan\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right) - \tan(0) = 1 - 0 = 1 \]
05
Confirm and Validate the Solution
The integral evaluation simplifies to 1, confirming that our application of the derivative and integral rules was correct. Therefore, the length of the curve \( y = \ln(\sec x) \) from \( x=0 \) to \( x=\frac{\pi}{4} \) is 1 unit.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Integration
Integration is a fundamental concept in calculus, often likened to the process of adding up an infinite number of small parts to find a whole. It is used in various applications like calculating areas under curves and finding arc lengths, as seen in our example with the curve \( y = \ln(\sec x) \).
The core idea of integration is to solve the integral:
The core idea of integration is to solve the integral:
- Definite Integrals: These are used to calculate the area under a curve from one point to another, integrating over a specific interval. In our example, the integral of \( \sec^2(x) \) was evaluated from \( 0 \) to \( \pi/4 \).
- Indefinite Integrals: These general forms include a constant and are used when no specific intervals are set, representing a family of functions.
Derivative
The derivative represents the rate at which a function is changing at any given point, essentially the slope of the function. It's a pivotal tool in calculus as it tells us how the function behaves. In our exercise, the derivative of \( y = \ln(\sec x) \) was found using the chain rule.
The derivative is calculated as follows:
The derivative is calculated as follows:
- Determine the outer function, in this case, the natural logarithm, \( \ln() \).
- Differentiate the inside function, \( \sec(x) \), then apply the derivative of the outer function to it.
- The result is \( y' = \sec(x)\tan(x) \), which indicates how steeply \( y = \ln(\sec(x)) \) is inclined at any point \( x \).
Chain Rule
The chain rule is a critical method used in taking derivatives and is especially important in functions composed of multiple layers of functions, such as \( y = \ln(\sec x) \). It helps us find the derivative of a composite function by differentiating the outer function and then multiplying it by the derivative of the inner function.
Here's how it works:
Here's how it works:
- Recognize the composition: Here, we have the composition of \( \ln() \) and \( \sec(x) \).
- Differentiate the outer part: The derivative of \( \ln(u) \) is \( \frac{1}{u} \).
- Multiply it by the derivative of the inner part: The derivative of \( \sec(x) \) is \( \sec(x)\tan(x) \).
- Combined, they yield \( y' = \sec(x)\tan(x) \).
Definite Integral
A definite integral is one of the main tools in calculus used to compute exact areas, volumes, and, as in our example, the arc length of a curve from one point to another. It involves integrating a function within specified limits.
For our exercise, we calculated the definite integral to find the arc length between specific limits:\[ L = \int_0^{\pi/4} \sec^2(x) \, dx \]
This process involves:
For our exercise, we calculated the definite integral to find the arc length between specific limits:\[ L = \int_0^{\pi/4} \sec^2(x) \, dx \]
This process involves:
- Evaluating the integral of the function \( \sec^2(x) \).
- Applying the application "evaluate the integral from the lower limit to the upper limit," which converts the antiderivative back into a context-dependent value.
- Concluding with \( \tan(\frac{\pi}{4}) - \tan(0) = 1 - 0 \), which yields 1 unit as the arc length.