Chapter 13: Vector Functions
Jose Rubén Niño Quevedo
2018-II
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1 13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves
2 13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
3 13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
4 13.4 Motion in Space: Velocity & Acceleration
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13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves
13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves I
A vector-valued function (or vector function) is simply a function
r:R → R3
t 7→ r(t) = hf (t), g (t), h(t)i
t 7→ r(t) = f (t)i + g (t)j + h(t)k.
Note that for every number t in the domain of r there is a unique vector denoted
by r(t). The functions f , g , and h are real-valued functions called the
component functions of r.
The limit of a vector function r is defined by taking the limits of its component
functions as follows.
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13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves
13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves II
A vector function r is continuous at continuous if
lim r(t) = r(a)
t→a
A space curve is a vector function r : I → R3 where I is an interval and each
component function is a continuous one in I .
The equations x = f (t), y = g (t) and z = h(t) are termed parametric
equations of C and t is called a parameter.
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13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves
13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves III
Figure: Space Curve.
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13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves
13.1 Vector Functions and Space Curves IV
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13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
Derivatives of Vector Functions I
The derivative r0 of a vector function r is defined in much the same way as for real
- valued functions:
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13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
Derivatives of Vector Functions II
The vector r0 (t) is called the tangent vector to the curve defined by r at the
point P, provided that r0 (t) exists and r0 (t) 6= 0.
The tangent line to C at P is defined to be the line through P parallel to the
tangent vector r0 (t). We will also have occasion to consider the unit tangent
vector, which is
r0 (t)
T(t) = 0 .
|r (t)|
This vector indicates the direction of the curve.
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13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
Derivatives of Vector Functions III
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13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
Derivatives of Vector Functions IV
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13.2 Derivatives and Integrals of Vector Functions
Integrals of Vector Functions I
The definite integral of a continuous vector function r can be defined as:
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Length of a Curve I
The length of a space curve C , which has the vector equation
r(t) = hf (t), g (t), h(t)i where a < t < b and f 0 , g 0 , and h0 are continuous, is
defined by
We define its arc length function s by
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Length of a Curve II
By the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, we obtain
ds
= |r(t)|.
dt
It is often useful to parametrize a curve with respect to arc length because
arc length arises naturally from the shape of the curve and does not depend on a
particular coordinate system.
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Length of a Curve III
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Length of a Curve IV
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Curvature I
A parametrization r(t) is called smooth on an interval I if r0 is continuous and
r(t) 6= 0 on I . A curve is called smooth if it has a smooth parametrization.
The curvature of C at a given point is a measure of how quickly the curve
changes direction at that point.
Specifically, we define it to be the magnitude of the rate of change of the unit
tangent vector with respect to arc length.
We use arc length so that the curvature will be independent of the
parametrization.
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
Curvature II
Example
1 Show that the curvature of a circle of radius a is 1a .
2 Find the curvature of the twisted cubic r(t) = ht, t 2 , t 3 i at a general point
and at (0, 0, 0).
3 For the special case of a plane curve with equation y = f (x),
|f 00 (x)|
κ(t) = 3/2
. (1)
(1 + [f 0 (x)]2 )
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
The Normal and Binormal Vectors I
At any point where κ 6= 0 we can define the principal unit normal vector N(t)
(or simply unit normal) as
T0 (t)
N(t) = 0 .
|T (t)|
The vector B(t) = T(t) × N(t) is called the binormal vector.
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
The Normal and Binormal Vectors II
The plane determined by the normal and binormal vectors N and B at a point P
on a curve C is called the normal plane of C at P and it consists of all lines that
are orthogonal to the tangent vector T.
The plane determined by the vectors T and N is called the osculating plane of C
at P.
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
The Normal and Binormal Vectors III
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13.3 Arc Length and Curvature
The Normal and Binormal Vectors IV
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13.4 Motion in Space: Velocity & Acceleration
13.4 Motion in Space: Velocity & Acceleration I
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