Asymptotes

An asymptote of a curve is a line such that

the distance between the curve and the line
approaches zero as they tend to infinity
or
Asymptote is defined as a line which is 
tangent to a curve at infinity.
There are three kinds of asymptotes
horizontal, vertical and oblique 

For curves given by the function y = ƒ(x),

horizontal asymptotes are horizontal lines that

the graph of the function approaches
as x tends to +∞ or −∞

Vertical asymptotes are vertical lines near

which the function grows without bound.
The x and y axes are the asymptotes for
Working Rule to find the oblique Asymptotes
Continued ….
Continued ….
 Applications of Asymptotes

Asymptotes convey information

about the behavior of the curve
and
Determining the asymptotes of a
function is an important step in
sketching its graph
Application Radius of Curvature
When engineers design train tracks, they need to ensure the curvature of the
track will be safe and provide a
.comfortable ride for the given speed of the trains
Curvature

The curvature of a curve at a point

on the curve is concerned with how
quickly the curve is changing
direction in the neighbourhood of
that point.

Given the gradients of the curve at

two adjacent points P and Q it is
possible to calculate the change in
direction
Curvature

A small arc PQ approximates to the

arc of a circle of radius R where:
arcPQ   s  R
So
 1

s R
and in the limit as
d 1
 s  0 this becomes 
ds R
Which is the curvature at P; R being
the radius of curvature
 Circle of Curvature & Centre of curvature
A circle which touches a curve on the concave side,
whose radius is the radius of curvature of the curve

Coordinates of Centre of curvature

given by
The radius of curvature R can be shown to be
given by:

3/ 2
  dy  2 
1    
  dx  
R
d2y
dx 2