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EXAMPLES FOR EXAM II

If it is not already on your hard drive, you will need to download the free DPGraph Viewer to view some of the pictures linked to on this page.   QuickTime 7 free download.
Limit and Continuity Example

The graph of the position function is pictured at the right.

Click on the picture above to see an animation.

See the picture at the right.

See the picture at the right.

See the picture at the right.

Note:  The answer above is a VECTOR.  Even though this limit exists, we can observe that r(t) is not defined at t = 1 because both x(t) and z(t) are not defined at t = 1.  Thus r(t) is not continuous at t = 1.  For r(t) to be continuous at t = 1 all three of its component functions, x(t), y(t), and z(t) must be continuous at t =1.  Recall that the definition of continuity for a function of one variable, say f(x), requires that for f to be continuous at x = a it must be true that

.

This means that the limit must exist at a, the function must be defined at a, and the two values must be equal.  This boils down to saying that you must be able to compute the limit by direct substitution.

 


 

Section 11.1 #64 (6e 54)

 

DPGraphPicture of the surfaces

Another view with higher resolution

Click on the picture above to see an animation.

 

 


 

Example--the Definite Integral of a Vector Valued Function

I'll say that again.  The answer is a VECTOR.

 


 

Section 11.2 #58 (6e 48) Similar

    

Click on the picture above to see an animation.

Powerpoint Presentation

 


 

Finding a Line Tangent to a Space Curve

Click on the picture to see an animation.

Larger Picture

 


Projectile Motion Example

A projectile is launched from ground level at an angle of 45o with the horizontal and with an initial velocity of 64 feet per second.  A television camera is located in the plane of the path of the projectile 50 feet behind the launch site.

Parametric equations for the path of the projectile in terms of the parameter t representing time are

Some of the basic things we can easily compute are the maximum height attained by the projectile and the range of the projectile.

The graph in red below represents the path of the projectile and the blue point moving along the graph in red represents the projectile.  The length of the vertical blue line segment at x = -50 represents the measure of angle a (the angle the camera makes with the horizontal) in degrees

animation of the projectile motion and changing angle a

The angle a that the camera makes with the horizontal is given by

Below is a graph of the measure of angle a in degrees as a function of time (t).

Notice that a is not a maximum at the same time that y is a maximum.


 
Animation For Section 11.3, Example 6

A baseball is hit 3 feet above the ground at 100 feet per second and at an angle of 45o with respect to the ground.  Find the maximum height reached by the baseball.  Will it clear a 10 foot high fence located 300 feet from home plate?  The solution can be found in your textbook.  Click on the picture at the right to see the animation.  Quicktime Animation    Quicktime Animation Extended

 

 


 
Section 11.3 #34 (6e 27) (similar)

The quarterback of a football team releases a pass at the height of 7 feet above the playing field, and the football is caught by a receiver 30 feet directly downfield at a height of 4 feet.  The pass is released at an angle of 35o with the horizontal.

Click on the picture to see an animation.  In my animation the receiver is 20 feet directly downfield when the quarterback releases the football.

Quicktime version

(a)  Find the speed of the football when it is released.

(b)  Find the maximum height of the football.

(c)  Find the time the receiver has to reach the proper position after the quarterback releases the football.

The receiver has approximately 1.2249 seconds to reach the proper position after the quarterback releases the football.

Highlights of the Solution to Section 11.3 #34 (6e 27)

(The difference is that the 30 feet is 30 yards.)

Animation for the original problem          Quicktime Version

 


 
Section 11.3 #36 (6e 30)

 
The Path of the Bomb with Air Resistance

The picture below shows the path the bomb would take if we do not neglect air resistance but rather take air resistance as proportional to velocity (of the bomb), i.e., r = kv.  The time interval is the length of time it takes the bomb to hit the ground neglecting air resistance (approximately 43.3 seconds).  The successive values for r in the graph, from left to right, are: 0.1, 0.08, 0.06, 0.04, 0.02, 0.01, 0.  Click on the picture below to see a similar picture that also includes the paths corresponding to r = 0.4 and r =0.2.  The bomb falls very slowly if r = 0.4.

 

The graph below is a graph of the endpoints of paths such as those shown above as r goes from 0.000001 to 3.

 


Lawn Sprinkler

Here is an example of the lawn sprinkler problem found in the exercises (#56) for Section 3.1 (It is a Calculus III problem.).  In the example here the speed of the water is 16 ft/sec so the distance the water travels horizontally is given by

           

and the path the water takes through the air is given by

         

Can you see why (neglecting air resistance)?  Answer

Click here to see an animation for this problem and click here for an animation with scales.  Would this sort of lawn sprinkler water the lawn uniformly?  Answer   For more information on the "calculus of lawn sprinklers" see the article "Design of an Oscillating Sprinkler" by Bart Braden in Mathematics Magazine.  You can view the article at matharticles.com.


 
EC

The picture at the right shows the paths of a projectile launched from sea level with an initial speed of 48 ft/sec.  The projectile has been launched in the direction of a gully whose flat bottom is 192 feet lower than the spot from which the projectile was launched.  The blue path corresponds to a launch angle of 60 degrees.  The red path corresponds to a launch angle of 45 degrees.  The green path corresponds to the launch angle that maximizes the horizontal distance traveled by the projectile.  The black path corresponds to a launch angle of 0 degrees.  The extra credit is to approximate the radian measure of the launch angle for the green path (6 significant digits), give the approximate degree measure (4 significant digits), and approximate the horizontal distance traveled (6 significant digits) for the green path.  Air resistance is being ignored.  Click on the picture to see an animation showing the path of the projectile as the launch angle varies from zero to almost ninety degrees.  Quicktime version of the animation

Maple Version of the Animation    Quicktime Maple Version

Maple Worksheet for the Maple Animation

 


 
Animation for Section 11.4 #47(6e 29)

The velocity vector is in green and the acceleration vector is in red.  Click here or on the picture at the right to view the animation.  One loop animation    Quicktime Version

 


 
Finding v, a, T, N, k

Click on the picture above to see an animation.  The velocity vector is in green, acceleration vector in red, and the principle unit normal vector in purple.  Notice the relationship between a(t) and N(t) as t gets larger.  Can you see analytically why this is happening?

Quicktime animation of the picture above

 


 
Finding T, N, k, aN, aT

Note that since we are working in R2 we could have narrowed down the possibilities for N(t) to two based on N(t) being orthogonal to T(t) and then determined N(t) if we knew enough about the concavity of r(t) (N is in the "direction of concavity").  So we could determine N from T if the nature of the graph at the right was known to us.

The figure below shows the velocity vectors (green) and acceleration vectors (red) at t = -1, t = 0, and t = 1 along the path described by the vector valued function r(t) = <t,4-t2>.  Click on the picture to see an animation that will also include the principal unit normal vector N (magenta).

 .

 

 


 
Finding T, N, k, aN, aT

 


 
Arc Length Example

Find the length of the curve described by r(t) = < t , t2 , t3 -3t2 + 2t > over the t interval [0,2].  See the figure at the right (click to spin).  In the figure the arc (blue) is being approximated by four line segments (red).

    

We could approximate the arc length by adding the lengths of the four approximating red line segments.

 


 

Arc Length Example

 

Find the arc length of the given curve over the given interval.  This would be one fundamental period of the basic sine function.

 

 

Excel Picture of the 16 Approximating Line Segments

 


 

Roller Coaster Problem

 

The position function r(t) = < 10sin(2t) , 10cos(2t) , 3t >, t going from 0 to 4pi, describes part of the motion of a roller coaster car along a spiral track at an amusement park (the path back to the bottom of the ride is not being described here).  The mass of the roller coaster car is 400kg, distance is in meters, and time in seconds.  Find the force along N required to keep the roller coaster car on its path.

 

There is more than one way to do this so I will find more than is necessary.

 

 


 
Ferris Wheel Problem

A circular Ferris wheel has a radius of 20 feet.  The center of the Ferris wheel is 26 feet above the ground.  There is one hanging seat hooked up and this seat always hangs straight down 4 feet from a point on the circumference of the Ferris wheel.  When running the Ferris wheel makes one revolution every 20 seconds and turns counterclockwise.  Construct a position function for the point at the bottom of the hanging seat (the point always 4 feet directly below a point on the circumference of the Ferris wheel).  In doing this assume the Ferris wheel reaches full speed in less than 1/4 revolution and model your position function such that the point on the circumference of the Ferris wheel directly above the hanging seat is at three o'clock at time t = 0.  From your position function find a velocity function for the point on the bottom of the hanging seat.  With the Ferris wheel at full speed, find the magnitude of the velocity of the point on the bottom of the hanging seat 5/3 seconds after it reaches its lowest point.  What is its lowest point?  Click here to see an animation.

Solution

The path of the point will be a circle with a radius of 20 feet and a center that is 22 feet above the ground.  The lowest point on this circle will be 2 feet above the ground.  Take the ground to be at y = 0 and introduce an xy-coordinate system such that the center of the circular path to be described is at (0,22).  Thus the equation of the path in rectangular coordinates is

Now we need to find A such that the point completes one revolution in 20 seconds.  To do this we need the fundamental period of cos(At) and sin(At) to be 20.  The fundamental period of cos(At) is

 


 
Circle of Curvature

Find the curvature, radius of curvature, center of the circle of curvature, and equation of the circle of curvature at the point (0,0) on the graph of the function given below.

The radius of curvature at (0,0) is 1/2.  To find the center of curvature we must go 1/2 unit from (0,0) in the direction of N.  In this case that would be 1/2 unit straight up to the point (0,1/2).  Using the standard form for the equation of a circle

we find that the equation of the circle of curvature is

For extra credit you may find the curvature, center of curvature, and equation of the circle of curvature at the point (1,1) on the graph of the same parabola (see the figures below).  Click here for an animation of many of the circles of curvature for this parabola and click here for the same animation but also showing the changing radius of curvature.

 


 
Circle of Curvature

Find the curvature, radius of curvature, center of the circle of curvature, and equation of the circle of curvature at the point (1,1/6) on the graph of the function given below.

 


 

return

 

 

 

 


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        Lane Vosbury, Mathematics, Seminole State College   email:  vosburyl@seminolestate.edu

        This page was last updated on 08/21/14          Copyright 2002          webstats