Calculus: Early Transcendentals
8th Edition
ISBN:9781285741550
Author:James Stewart
Publisher:James Stewart
Chapter1: Functions And Models
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RCC: (a) What is a function? What are its domain and range? (b) What is the graph of a function? (c) How...
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### Exercise 3: Orthogonality of Velocity and Acceleration Vectors
**Problem Statement:**
Show that if a particle moves with constant speed, then the velocity and acceleration vectors are orthogonal.
**Explanation:**
To solve this problem, follow the steps below:
1. **Constant Speed:**
- A particle moving with constant speed means the magnitude of its velocity vector `|v|` is constant.
2. **Velocity Vector:**
- Denote the velocity vector by **v**. Since its speed is constant, the derivative of the speed (which is the magnitude of the velocity) with respect to time is zero:
\[
\frac{d}{dt} (\| \mathbf{v} \|) = 0
\]
3. **Dot Product of the Velocity with Itself:**
- Write the speed squared in terms of the dot product of the velocity vector with itself:
\[
\|\mathbf{v}\|^2 = \mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{v}
\]
4. **Differentiate the Dot Product:**
- Differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to time:
\[
\frac{d}{dt} (\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{v}) = \frac{d}{dt} (\|\mathbf{v}\|^2)
\]
Since the right-hand side is zero (because the speed is constant):
\[
2 \mathbf{v} \cdot \frac{d\mathbf{v}}{dt} = 0
\]
Simplifying this gives:
\[
\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{a} = 0
\]
where \(\mathbf{a} = \frac{d\mathbf{v}}{dt}\) is the acceleration vector.
5. **Conclusion:**
- The result shows that the dot product of the velocity and acceleration vectors is zero:
\(\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{a} = 0\)
This implies that the velocity and acceleration vectors are orthogonal.
Therefore, if a particle moves with constant speed, the velocity and acceleration vectors must be orthogonal (perpendicular) to each other.
---](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F333de6cc-3da3-4bcc-9995-6ee1769198c2%2F36faf7f0-5cf7-4ff9-8faa-428e9e3eb451%2Fbuo9nvx.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:---
### Exercise 3: Orthogonality of Velocity and Acceleration Vectors
**Problem Statement:**
Show that if a particle moves with constant speed, then the velocity and acceleration vectors are orthogonal.
**Explanation:**
To solve this problem, follow the steps below:
1. **Constant Speed:**
- A particle moving with constant speed means the magnitude of its velocity vector `|v|` is constant.
2. **Velocity Vector:**
- Denote the velocity vector by **v**. Since its speed is constant, the derivative of the speed (which is the magnitude of the velocity) with respect to time is zero:
\[
\frac{d}{dt} (\| \mathbf{v} \|) = 0
\]
3. **Dot Product of the Velocity with Itself:**
- Write the speed squared in terms of the dot product of the velocity vector with itself:
\[
\|\mathbf{v}\|^2 = \mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{v}
\]
4. **Differentiate the Dot Product:**
- Differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to time:
\[
\frac{d}{dt} (\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{v}) = \frac{d}{dt} (\|\mathbf{v}\|^2)
\]
Since the right-hand side is zero (because the speed is constant):
\[
2 \mathbf{v} \cdot \frac{d\mathbf{v}}{dt} = 0
\]
Simplifying this gives:
\[
\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{a} = 0
\]
where \(\mathbf{a} = \frac{d\mathbf{v}}{dt}\) is the acceleration vector.
5. **Conclusion:**
- The result shows that the dot product of the velocity and acceleration vectors is zero:
\(\mathbf{v} \cdot \mathbf{a} = 0\)
This implies that the velocity and acceleration vectors are orthogonal.
Therefore, if a particle moves with constant speed, the velocity and acceleration vectors must be orthogonal (perpendicular) to each other.
---
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