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Showing posts with label $2d$ analytic geometry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $2d$ analytic geometry. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Conics and tangents: a general method

   A conic or a $2^{nd}$ degree planar curve has the following general form in cartesian coordinates
$
\boxed{ax^{2}+by^{2}+cxy+dx+ey+f=0}
$
   If we denote with $C$ the graph of this equation, we are going to show that the equation of the tangent to the curve $C$ at the point $(x_{1},y_{1}) \in C$ can be immediately derived from the equation of the curve, using the substitutions:
$
\boxed{
\begin{array}{c}
x^{2} \rightsquigarrow xx_{1}, \  y^{2} \rightsquigarrow yy_{1} \\
 xy \rightsquigarrow \frac{1}{2}(xy_{1}+x_{1}y)  \\
x \rightsquigarrow \frac{x+x_{1}}{2}, \ y \rightsquigarrow \frac{y+y_{1}}{2} \\
\end{array}
}
$
Consequently, the equation of the tangent to the curve $C$ at the point $(x_{1},y_{1}) \in C$ can be immediately written as
\begin{equation} \label{tangentconic}
\boxed{
axx_{1}+byy_{1}+c\frac{xy_{1}+x_{1}y}{2}+d\frac{x+x_{1}}{2}+e\frac{y+y_{1}}{2}+f=0
}
\end{equation}
   Proof: $\bullet$ Since $(x_{1},y_{1}) \in C$ its coordinates should satisfy the equation of the curve, thus
\begin{equation} \label{pointonconic}
ax_{1}^{2}+by_{1}^{2}+cx_{1}y_{1}+dx_{1}+ey_{1}+f=0
\end{equation}
   $\bullet$ Now we can proceed in implicitly differentiating the initial equation with respect to $x$, obtaining thus an expression for its slope at the (arbitrary) point $(x_{1},y_{1}) \in C$:
$$
\begin{array}{c}
(ax^{2}+by^{2}+cxy+dx+ey+f)'=0 \Leftrightarrow \\
   \\
\Leftrightarrow 2ax+2byy'+cy+cxy'+d+ey'=0 \Leftrightarrow \\
    \\
\Leftrightarrow (2by+cx+e)y'=-2ax-cy-d \Rightarrow \\
    \\
\Leftrightarrow y'(x_{1})=\frac{dy}{dx}\mid_{(x_{1},y_{1})}=-\frac{2ax_{1}+cy_{1}+d}{2by_{1}+cx_{1}+e}
\end{array}
$$
for all $(x_{1},y_{1})$ for which  $2by_{1}+cx_{1}+e \neq 0$.
   $\bullet$ Consequently, the equation of the tangent to the curve $C$ at the point $(x_{1},y_{1}) \in C$ will be
$
y-y_{1}=\frac{dy}{dx}\mid_{(x_{1},y_{1})}\cdot(x-x_{1})
$
Thus we can now readily work out
$$
\begin{array}{c}
y-y_{1}=\frac{dy}{dx}\mid_{(x_{1},y_{1})}\cdot(x-x_{1}) \Leftrightarrow\\
    \\
\Leftrightarrow y-y_{1}=-\frac{2ax_{1}+cy_{1}+d}{2by_{1}+cx_{1}+e}(x-x_{1}) \Leftrightarrow \\
    \\
\Leftrightarrow (2by_{1}+cx_{1}+e)(y-y_{1})=-(2ax_{1}+cy_{1}+d)(x-x_{1}) \Leftrightarrow  \\
     \\
\Leftrightarrow 2by_{1}y-2by_{1}^{2}+cx_{1}y-cx_{1}y_{1}+ey-ey_{1}=-2ax_{1}x+2ax_{1}^{2}-cy_{1}x+cy_{1}x_{1} \\   -dx+dx_{1} \Leftrightarrow  \\
     \\
\Leftrightarrow 2by_{1}y+cx_{1}y+ey+2ax_{1}x+cy_{1}x+dx=2ax_{1}^{2}+cy_{1}x_{1}+dx_{1}+2by_{1}^{2}+ \\ cy_{1}x_{1}+ey_{1} \Leftrightarrow   \\
     \\
\Leftrightarrow 2ax_{1}x+2by_{1}y+c(x_{1}y+xy_{1})+dx+ey=  \\
  =\underbrace{ax_{1}^{2}+by_{1}^{2}+cx_{1}y_{1}}_{=-dx_{1}-ey_{1}-f}+\underbrace{ax_{1}^{2}+by_{1}^{2}+cx_{1}y_{1}+dx_{1}+ey_{1}}_{=-f} \Leftrightarrow   \\
    \\
\Leftrightarrow axx_{1}+byy_{1}+c\frac{xy_{1}+x_{1}y}{2}+d\frac{x+x_{1}}{2}+e\frac{y+y_{1}}{2}+f=0
\end{array}
$$
which finally completes the proof!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Question of the week #6

Let $z_{1}=x_{1}+iy_{1}$ and $z_{2}=x_{2}+iy_{2}$ be two points on the complex plane. They determine a line segment. Consider the perpendicular bisector of this line segment. Find the point where this perpendicular bisector cuts the vertical (i.e. the $Oy$) axis. 

Waiting for your thoughts and ideas till next week!


Sunday, December 15, 2013

Question of the week #2 - the answer

Question of the week #2

   Last week's question was dealing with two different standard forms of the hyperbola equation.
The answer to the question, is that these two different forms are equivalent descriptions and this can be shown by a counterclockwise rotation $(x,y)\rightarrow(x',y')$ of the planar coordinate system, through an angle $φ=π/4 (rad)$.
   Here are some more details (in the example that follows $a > 0$):

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Question of the week #2

This week's question comes form $2d$ analytic geometry, and deals more specifically with the coordinate equations of the hyperbola:

"In a given coordinate system $(x,y)$ the equation $y=\frac{a}{x}$, $a \in \mathbb{R}$ represents an hyperbola. Show that under a suitable change of coordinates i.e. under a suitable transformation $(x,y)\rightarrow(x',y')$ the same hyperbola becomes $x'^{2} - y'^{2}=2a$"

check out the pdf version here.

Waiting again for your thoughts, ideas and answers till next week!