See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/322386060

Two Different Pursuit Situations Introduction to Pursuit Situation #1

Article · January 2018

CITATIONS READS
0 915

1 author:

Richard Palmaccio
St. Sebastian's
12 PUBLICATIONS   1 CITATION   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Mathematics Instruction View project

General Mathematics Reading View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Richard Palmaccio on 11 January 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Two Different Pursuit Situations

Introduction to Pursuit Situation #1

A heat-seeking missile always moves directly toward its target. It focuses only on the heat emitted
by the target, never aiming for a point ahead of the target. The path generated by this movement is
called a pursuit curve. The idea seems simple enough, but the actual mathematical analysis of such a
curve requires a bit of fancy footwork. This is why you do not see such curves discussed in ordinary
textbooks. There is a little surprise result at the end.

In this article we consider a pursuit curve in the context of a fox chasing a rabbit. The fox acts
exactly like a heat-seeking missile. Its fixed gaze on the rabbit takes the place of the infrared sensors,
causing the fox to maintain a constant heading directly toward the unfortunate rabbit.

Let's Cut to the Chase

Suppose a fox is initially located (at time t = 0) b units north of a rabbit which is initially at the
origin. The rabbit moves east at a constant rate of r while at all times the fox moves directly toward the
rabbit at the constant rate of f. Given that f > r, where will the fox intercept the rabbit?

Figure 1 shows the configuration of the situation with a coordinate system imposed with the rabbit
initially at the origin with the fox on the positive y-axis. Let s be the distance traveled by the fox along
ds
its path from F0 to Ft . Then = f . Also since the fox continually aims directly toward the rabbit,
dt
dy y dx
, dx = x−r t . We also know that when t = 0, x = 0, y = b, and dy =0 since the fox's path is initially

√
2
tangent to the y axis. ds= √ dx + dy
2 2
so that
ds
dy
=− 1+
dx
dy( ) since s decreases as y increases.
 ds ds dy
Using the chain rule, we have dt = f = dy ∗ dt which implies that

√
2
f=
−dy
dt
1+
dx
dy ( ) (1)

dx x−r t
To accommodate expression (1) for f we employ the inverted slope expression dy = y . If
we were to substitute this into (1) now we would create a monster! Watch this cute maneuver! Let p =
dx x−r t
. Then we have from p= two items:
dy y

dy
f =−
dt
√ 1+ p 2 (2)
p y= x−r t (3)

Differentiating with respect to y we see that

dp dx dt
p+ y = −r
dy dy dy

dp dt
p+ y = p−r
dy dy

− y dp dt
=
r dy dy

dy r dy
=−
dt y dp

Substituting this last expression into (2) yields

f =− ( −ry dydp ) √ 1 + p 2

dp 1 r
= ∗ ∗√ 1+ p2
dy y f

The last expression is a variable separable differential equation which we eagerly grasp for further
processing. Getting the p's and y's separated we have

dp r dy
∫ 1+ p 2 = f ∫ y
.
 r r
For convenience we lump f by letting k = f . Clearly since 0 < r < f , dividing through by f we see
that 0 < k < 1. Now we are solving

dp dy
∫ 1+ p 2 =k ∫ y
. (4)

Let tan(Φ) = p. Then we draw the reference triangle in Figure 2 to be able to obtain any other needed
trig function of Φ.
2 2 2
dp=sec Φ dΦ and v + 1=sec Φ

We substitute into the integral on the left of (4) and proceed with the solution.

∫ secsec
Φ dΦ
Φ
=k ∫
dy
y

dy
∫ sec Φ dΦ=k ∫ y

ln∣sec Φ+ tanΦ∣=k ( ln∣ y∣+ lnC ) = k ln∣C y∣= ln∣( C y )k∣

Substituting from the reference triangle and taking the exponential of both sides we find

√ 1+ p 2+ p=(C y) k
2
( √ 1+ p2 ) =( (C y)k − p ) 2
dx k
We evaluate the constant of integration, C, with the condition that if y = b, then p= dy =0 so 1 =(Cb)
implies that C = 1/b. Substituting for C,
 2

(( ) )
k
( √ 1+ p2 )2= y
−p
b

Squaring and simplifying we have

2k k
1=
() y
b
−2p
() y
b

which is readily solved for p.

k 2k
2p
() ()
y
b
=
y
b
−1

(( ) ( ) )
k -k
1 y y dx
p= − =
2 b b dy

We can isolate dx and then obtain x as a function of y for the pursuit curve.

dx =
1
2 (( ) ( ) )
y k
b
−
y -k
b
1 1 k k -k
dy = 2 k y −b y
b
dy
( )
( ) { }
1 1 k k
dy = 1 1 ∗ 1 y k + 1− b y 1 - k + C
k -k
x= ∫ y −b y
2 bk 2 bk k+ 1 1−k

Since the fox catches the rabbit on the x-axis, the x-intercept of this pursuit curve solves the
problem. To get the x-intercept we let y = 0 obtaining x = C. Therefore the value of C tells us how far
from the origin the rabbit meets its fate. The data point to use in evaluating C is the fox's initial
position (x, y) = (0, b).

0=
1
2
{ b1 ∗ k+1 1 ∗b
k
k+1
+ b∗
k 1
k−1
∗b
1- k
}
+C

0=
1 b
{ +
b
2 k+ 1 k−1
+C =
1 bk− b+ bk+ b
2 }
k 2− 1
+C
{ }
bk
C=
1−k 2

Since earlier we let

r rabbit's speed
k= =
f fox's speed
we can write
 b
( rf ) ∗
C=
1−
r
2 ( )f2
f
2

f2
or
br f
C =
f 2− r 2

Notice that if the value of f is very close to the value of r, C becomes very large. Figure 3 shows the
meeting of the fox with the rabbit.

Author's Note: While presenting the pursuit curve to a class he wondered how fast the fox must travel
in order to intercept the rabbit at (b, 0). This would be at such a speed that the rabbit would travel the
same distance to the interception point that it was from the fox initially. Let f = Фr. Then

bΦ r2 1 + √5
=b ⇒ Φ 2 −Φ − 1 = 0 ⇒ Φ = ≈ 1.618 .
Φ 2 r2 − r2 2

This is the Golden Ratio! A survey of the literature revealed no such observation, so this result may not
be known, or at least not widely known.

Introduction to Pursuit Situation #2

The title of the second pursuit scenario could be “Pursuing the pursuers”. Here we have four bugs
initially in four corners of a square region. Each pursues the one it is facing, and we are to construct the
path of one of the pursuers. Due to the symmetry of the situation, each bug will move on paths which
are congruent to one another under a 90o rotation. The question we will answer is “What is the length
of path followed by each pursuer as time t → ∞ ?

It would seem reasonable to place the four pursuing bugs initially on opposite sides of the origin in
each of the four quadrants with each bug equidistant from the origin. Two of them are on the line y = x
and the other two are on the line y = -x. This is shown in Figure 4. For convenience they are thus at
the four corners of a unit square with their coordinates as shown.
 y

B (- ½ , ½) A (½ , ½)
A' (x, y)
B' (-y, x)

C (-½ , -½) D (½ , -½)

Figure 4. Initial Placement of Bugs.

Bugs A, B, C, and D are placed in their initial positions with the initial coordinates being the four
vertices of a unit square centered at the origin. Bug A chases bug B while bug B chases bug C while
bug C chases bug D while bug D chases bug A. We assume all bugs travel at the same speed so that
perfect symmetry is maintained under a 90o counter-clockwise rotation. After some time passes, Bug A
has moved to A' (x, y) while bug B has moved to B' (-y, x). Arc AA' is congruent to BB'.

Since bug A is always aimed at bug B, the tangent line to the curve of the path of bug A at any instant
in time passes through bug B's position. We proceed to derive an equation for the path of bug A. The
fact that the slope of line A' B' equals the slope of arc AA' at point A' leads to the differential equation

dy y −x 1 1
= , x= when y = .
dx x+ y 2 2
(1)

We can solve this equation by dividing the numerator and denominator by x to obtain

y
−1
dy x
= .
dx y
+1
x
(2)

dy dv
Let v = y so that y = vx and = v + x . Then (2) becomes
x dx dx

dv v −1
v+ x = .
dx v+ 1
(3)

We perform some algebraic manipulations on (3) and then separate the variables.
2 2
x
dv
dx
=
v −1−v −v
v+ 1
= −
v + 1
v+ 1
⇒ ∫ ( vv ++ 11 ) dv
2
= −∫
dx
x
The integral on the left side can be separated.

1 2 dv dv dx
2 ∫ v2 + 1 ∫1+
+ = −∫
v
2
x

After term-by-term integration we add ln(C) as the integration constant to obtain

1
2
ln ( v = 1 ) + tan (v ) = ln
2 −1 C
x
. ()
Replacing v we have

( )
2 2
1
2
ln
y + x
x2
+ tan
−1
()y
x
= ln ( )
C
x
.
(4)

We compute the integration constant from (3) by letting x = y = ½ . Then

1
2
ln (2) + π = ln ( 2 C)
4
⇒ π = ln 2 C
4 √2 ( ) ⇒ C=
√ 2 e π/ 4
2

Putting this value for C into (4) we have after some simplifying

ln ( 2 √ x 2 + y 2) + tan−1
( yx ) = π4 + ln √ 2 .
Although this is an equation of the pursuit path for bug A, it definitely does not lend itself to an arc
length analysis. This is a superb example of a situation demanding the use of polar coordinates. Thus
we now convert the differential equation in (1) to polar form.

x = r cos θ , y = r sin θ ⇒ dx = − r sin θ d θ + cos θ dr , dy = r cos θ d θ + sin θ dr

After cross multiplying and simplifying, the result is

dr
= −r ,
dθ

which is an easy variable separable differential equation which we now solve to obtain the path of bug
A in polar form.

dr
∫ r
= −∫ d θ ⇒ ln (r ) = −θ + C

√( )
2 2
Since bug A began motion at ( )
1 1
,
2 2
, the distance r from the origin is
1
2
+ () 1
2
= √ . This
2
2
is along the ray θ = π at time t = 0 . This enables the evaluation of C.
4
 ln (√ ) 2
2 1
= − ( ln 2) = − π + C
2 4
⇒ 1
C = π − (ln 2)
4 2

1
Placing this into the path equation, ln (r ) −θ + π − (ln 2) we solve for r obtaining:
4 2

r = (√ )e
2
2 ( π/4 − θ )
.
(5)

We set up the length of path by using an improper integral since we must integrate from θ = π/4 to
θ = ∞. We use the expression for r from equation (5) in the arc length formula

√
2

dL =
2
r + ( ) dθ .
dr
dθ

Thus the entire path traced by bug A as time becomes unlimited is given by the following.
∞ ∞
L = ∫
π/ 4 √ 1 2(π / 4 − θ )
2
e
1 2( π/ 4 − θ )
+ e
2
dθ = ∫ e
π/ 4
( π/ 4 − θ )
dθ

L = lim (e 0 − e ( π/ 4 − θ )) = 1 unit !
θ →∞
Thus after the chase has ended after an infinite amount of time passes, the length of path equals the
initial distance between each bug at time t = 0.

View publication stats