Suppose r'(t) has units of m/s. Explain why T(t) = r'(t)/ | r'(t) | is dimensionless (has no units) and carries information only about direction.

Trigonometry (MindTap Course List)
10th Edition
ISBN:9781337278461
Author:Ron Larson
Publisher:Ron Larson
Chapter6: Topics In Analytic Geometry
Section6.2: Introduction To Conics: parabolas
Problem 4ECP: Find an equation of the tangent line to the parabola y=3x2 at the point 1,3.
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Suppose r'(t) has units of m/s. Explain why T(t) = r'(t)/ | r'(t) | is dimensionless (has no units) and carries information only about direction.

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Suppose r'(t) has units of m/s.

To explain why Let r(t) be a differential vector valued functionNow we look for the derivative r'(t)The vector r'(t) points in the direction of travel and its length tells us the speed of travelNow we if we are interested in finding the direction of r' but not its length The standard unit tangent vector denoted by T(t) is given by:T(t)=r'(t)r'(t) is dimensionless (has no units) and carries information only about direction.

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