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3rd Week VC-B

This document is from a vector calculus course taught by Adnan Aslam on October 27, 2020. It discusses curvature and the unit normal vector N for curves. It provides definitions and formulas for calculating curvature, the principal unit normal vector N, and the circle of curvature. Examples are presented for finding the osculating circle of a parabola, calculating curvature of a helix, and determining the principal unit normal vector N for a helix. Students are assigned related exercises to complete.

Uploaded by

Noor Tahir
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
54 views

3rd Week VC-B

This document is from a vector calculus course taught by Adnan Aslam on October 27, 2020. It discusses curvature and the unit normal vector N for curves. It provides definitions and formulas for calculating curvature, the principal unit normal vector N, and the circle of curvature. Examples are presented for finding the osculating circle of a parabola, calculating curvature of a helix, and determining the principal unit normal vector N for a helix. Students are assigned related exercises to complete.

Uploaded by

Noor Tahir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

Course: Vector Calculus

Instructor: Adnan Aslam

October 27, 2020

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 1 / 19


Curvature and the Unit Normal Vector N

As a particle moves along a smooth curve in the plane, T = dr/ds turns


as the curve bends.
Since T is a unit vector, its length remains constant and only its direction
changes as the particle moves along the curve.
The rate at which T turns per unit of length along the curve is called the
curvature.
The traditional symbol for the curvature function is the Greek letter κ
(kappa).
DEFINITION Curvature
If T is the unit vector of a smooth curve, the curvature function of the
curve is
dT
κ= .
ds

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 2 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 3 / 19
Formula for Calculating Curvature
If a smooth curve r(t) is already given in terms of some parameter t other
than the arc length parameter s, we can calculate the curvature as

dT dT dt 1 dT
κ= = =
ds dt ds |ds/dt| dt

1 dT
κ=
|v| dt
where T = v/|v| is the unit tangent vector.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 4 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 5 / 19
Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 6 / 19
Principal Unit Normal

• Among the vectors orthogonal to the unit tangent vector T, there is


one of particular significance because it points in the direction in
which the curve is turning.
• Since T has constant length (because its length is always 1), the
derivative dT/ds is orthogonal to T.
• Therefore, if we divide dT/ds by its length κ, we obtain a unit vector
N orthogonal to T .

DEFINITION Principal Unit Normal


At a point where κ 6= 0, the principal unit normal vector for a smooth
curve in the plane is
1 dT
N=
κ ds

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 7 / 19


Formula for Calculating N
If r(t) is a smooth curve, then the principal unit normal is

dT/dt
N=
|dT/dt|

where T = v/|v| is the unit tangent vector.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 8 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 9 / 19
Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 10 / 19
Circle of Curvature for Plane Curves
The circle of curvature or osculating circle at a point P on a plane
curve where κ 6= 0 is the circle in the plane of the curve that
1. is tangent to the curve at P (has the same tangent line the
curve has)
2. has the same curvature the curve has at P
3. has center that lies toward the concave or inner side of the
curve.
The radius of curvature of the curve at P is the radius of the circle of
curvature, which is
1
Radius of curvature = ρ =
κ
To find ρ we find κ and take the reciprocal. The center of curvature of
the curve at P is the center of the circle of curvature.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 11 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 12 / 19
EXAMPLE 4 Finding the Osculating Circle for a Parabola
Find and graph the osculating circle of the parabola y = x 2 at the origin.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 13 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 14 / 19
Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 15 / 19
EXAMPLE 5 Finding Curvature
Find the curvature for the helix (Figure 13.24)

r(t) = (a cos t)i + (a sin t)j + btk, a, b ≥ 0, a2 + b 2 6= 0.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 16 / 19


Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 17 / 19
Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 18 / 19
EXAMPLE 6 Finding the Principal Unit Normal Vector N
Find N for the helix in Example 5.

Exercise 13.4 Questions 1-5, 9-16, 21, 22.

Adnan Aslam Course: Vector Calculus October 27, 2020 19 / 19

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