Often a relation (an expression in x and y), that has a graph but is not a function, needs to be analyzed. But the relation is not or cannot be solved for y. What to do? The answer is to use the technique of implicit differentiation. Assume there is a way to solve for y and differentiate using…
The parametric/vector equation questions only concern motion in a plane. In the plane, the position of a moving object as a function of time, t, can be specified by a pair of parametric equations or the equivalent vector . The path is the curve traced by the parametric equations or the tips of the position vector. . The velocity of the movement…
In the plane, the position of a moving object as a function of time, t, can be specified by a pair of parametric equations or the equivalent vector . The path is the curve traced by the parametric equations or the tips of the position vector. . The velocity of the movement in the x- and y-direction is given by the vector . The vector…
Implicit differentiation of relations is done using the Chain Rule. Implicit Differentiation (from last Friday’s post. I discovered I never did a post on this topic before!) Implicit differentiation of parametric equations A Vector’s Derivative The inverse series This series of posts reviews and expands what students know from pre-calculus about inverses. This leads to…
I have always had the impression that the AP exam assumed that parametric equations and vectors were first studied and developed in a pre-calculus course. In fact, many schools do just that. It would be nice if students knew all about these topics when they started BC calculus. Because of time considerations, this very rich…
A question on the AP Calculus Community bulletin board this past Sunday inspired me to write this brief outline of what the derivatives of parametric equations mean and where they come from. The Position Equation or Position Vector A parametric equation gives the coordinates of points (x, y) in the plane as functions of a…
A few weeks ago I covered some trigonometry classes for another teacher. They were studying polar and parametric graphs and the common curves limaçon, rose curves, cardioids, etc. I got to thinking about these curves. the next few posts will discuss what I learned. To help me see what was happening I made a Winplot…
