Parametric Curves

EXAMPLE

Each are a possible parametric representation of this circle:

Example:
 For parametric curves x=f(t), y=g(t) the situation is much more complicated.

Even if f and g have continuous derivatives everywhere, such curves may fail
to be smooth at certain points,

Example:

y 2  x3 or x  y 2/3 is not smooth at the origin.

are continuous for all t. Observe that

Example:

ALTHOUGH
smooth everywhere

VANISH AT t=0
Example:
Example:
Example:
Example:
Assumptions:

(x has no points below the x-axis and is

traversed from left to right as t increases
from a to b)
Areas defined by parametric curves
Example:
Example:

Solution: One arch of the cycloid corresponds to the parameter interval 0  t  2

The shaded area is:
Relating cartesian and polar coordinates
 
0 
2

The cardioid
OBSERVE:
 3
• How the curves (a) and (c) approach the origin in the directions    and    .
• (b) approaches to the origin in the directions   0,  ,   , and  2
4 4
3 3

• (b) is traced out twice as  increases from  to  so as (c).

• There are no points on curve (c) between     and    3

4 4
• Each function is periodic and 2 is a period for each of them, so each line through origin could meet
the polar graph at most twice (  and    determine the same line).
If f ( ) does not have period 2 , then the curve can wind around origin many times.
For parametric curves horizontal and vertical tangents correspond to dy/dt=0 and dx/dt=0, respectively

• For horizontal tangents find the critical points of

y  f ( ) sin 
• For vertical tangents find the critical points of

x  f ( ) cos 
For horizontal tangents:

There are horizontal tangents at

The curve does not have a tangent line at the origin. (It has a
cusp)
Reference:

Adams R. A., Essex C. , Calculus: A Complete Course (9-th edition), Pearson, 2018