Chapter 12: Problem 4
Find the curve's unit tangent vector. Also, find the length of the indicated portion of the curve. $$\mathbf{r}(t)=(2+t) \mathbf{i}-(t+1) \mathbf{j}+t \mathbf{k}, \quad 0 \leq t \leq 3$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The unit tangent vector is \( \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{i} - \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{j} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{k} \) and the curve length is \( 3\sqrt{3} \).
Step by step solution
01
Find the Curve's Derivative
To find the unit tangent vector, we first need to differentiate the vector function \( \mathbf{r}(t) \). The derivative \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \) is calculated as follows:- Differentiate the \( i \)-component: \( \frac{d}{dt}(2+t) = 1 \).- Differentiate the \( j \)-component: \( \frac{d}{dt}(-(t+1)) = -1 \).- Differentiate the \( k \)-component: \( \frac{d}{dt}(t) = 1 \).Thus, \( \mathbf{r}'(t) = 1 \mathbf{i} - 1 \mathbf{j} + 1 \mathbf{k} \).
02
Calculate the Magnitude of the Derivative
The magnitude of \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \) is given by \( ||\mathbf{r}'(t)|| = \sqrt{(1)^2 + (-1)^2 + (1)^2} = \sqrt{3} \).
03
Find the Unit Tangent Vector
The unit tangent vector \( \mathbf{T}(t) \) is computed by dividing the derivative by its magnitude:\[ \mathbf{T}(t) = \frac{\mathbf{r}'(t)}{||\mathbf{r}'(t)||} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{i} - \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{j} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{k} \].
04
Find the Length of the Curve over the Given Interval
The length \( L \) of the curve over the interval from \( t = 0 \) to \( t = 3 \) is determined by integrating the magnitude of \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \) over this interval:\[ L = \int_{0}^{3} ||\mathbf{r}'(t)|| \, dt = \int_{0}^{3} \sqrt{3} \, dt = [\sqrt{3} t]_{0}^{3} \].Evaluating the definite integral yields:\[ L = \sqrt{3} \times 3 - \sqrt{3} \times 0 = 3\sqrt{3} \].
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Understanding the Unit Tangent Vector
In vector calculus, a unit tangent vector is used to describe the direction of a curve at any given point and is always of unit length, meaning its magnitude is 1. The process involves a few straightforward steps:
- Start by finding the derivative of the vector function that describes the curve. In our example, the curve is given by \( \mathbf{r}(t) = (2+t) \mathbf{i} -(t+1) \mathbf{j}+t \mathbf{k} \).
- The derivative of this vector function, denoted as \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \), gives us a new vector \( 1 \mathbf{i} - 1 \mathbf{j} + 1 \mathbf{k} \), which approximates the direction of the curve's tangent line at each point \( t \).
- To convert this tangent direction into a unit tangent vector (\( \mathbf{T}(t) \)), divide the derivative by its magnitude.
- The magnitude of \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \) is found to be \( \sqrt{3} \). Therefore, the unit tangent vector becomes \( \mathbf{T}(t) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{i} - \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{j} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \mathbf{k} \).
Calculating Curve Length Using Integral Calculus
Finding the length of a curve is an application of integral calculus, determining how far you travel along the curve between two points. For the vector function\( \mathbf{r}(t) \) provided:
- We use its derivative \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \) to find the rate of change along the curve, known as its velocity.
- The magnitude of this derivative \( \|\mathbf{r}'(t)\| = \sqrt{3} \) represents how much distance is covered as \( t \) changes.
- To find the total length of the curve from \( t=0 \) to \( t=3 \), integrate this magnitude over the given interval.
Integral Calculus in Vector Applications
Integral calculus plays a pivotal role in analyzing curves described by vector functions. It involves two primary actions: integrating or summing small quantities to find total measurements.
- When applied to vector functions, integral calculus helps in determining accumulative properties like curve lengths or area under curves.
- In our case, where the curve \( \mathbf{r}(t) \) is defined by a vector function, we looked at the integral of the magnitude of the derivative to find how far a traveler would move between points.
- By computing \( \int_{0}^{3} \|\mathbf{r}'(t)\| \, dt \), we collapsed a potentially infinite number of decimal points between \( t=0 \) and \( t=3 \) into a single result: \( 3\sqrt{3} \).
Exploring Vector Function Derivatives
Derivatives are a core concept in calculus, representing the rate of change. For vector functions, this involves differentiating each component separately to form a new vector.
- For \( \mathbf{r}(t) = (2+t) \mathbf{i} -(t+1) \mathbf{j}+t \mathbf{k} \), we differentiate component-by-component to find \( \mathbf{r}'(t) \). This results in the vector \( 1 \mathbf{i} - 1 \mathbf{j} + 1 \mathbf{k} \).
- The derivative vector shows how each component of \( \mathbf{r}(t) \) changes with respect to \( t \).
- This new vector not only provides insights into the tangent direction at points along the curve but also reveals the character of motion when considered over time.