A curve has parametric equations
- (i)
Sketch .
- (ii)
Find the exact coordinates of the point on where the tangent is parallel to the line .
- (iii)
Show that the equation of the tangent to at the point is .
- (iv)
The tangent at cuts the -axis at the point . Find the area of triangle .
- (v)
The tangent at cuts again at the point . Find the coordinates of .
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Worked solution
11(i)
1. Determine the domain, range, and Cartesian equation to establish the shape of the curve.
From , since is a real parameter, .
Expressing in terms of : .
Substituting into the square of :
The curve exists only for and is symmetric about the -axis.
2. Determine the gradient at the origin and sketch the curve.
At the origin where , , indicating a horizontal tangent (a cusp).
As , and .
As , and .
[Draw the axes, mark the origin, and sketch the two symmetric branches of the curve in the region, getting steeper as increases.]
[Sketch of a curve in the first and fourth quadrants, symmetric about the -axis, starting with a cusp at the origin where it has a horizontal tangent, and opening to the right as increases.]
11(ii)
1. Differentiate $x$ and $y$ with respect to $t$ to find $\frac{dy}{dx}$.
2. Equate the gradient of the tangent to the gradient of the given line to find $t$.
The gradient of the line is .
Since the tangent is parallel to this line, their gradients must be equal:
3. Substitute $t$ into the parametric equations to find the exact coordinates of $P$.
The exact coordinates of are .
11(iii)
1. Find the derivative $\frac{dy}{dx}$ in terms of $t$ using the parametric equations.
2. Find the value of the parameter $t$ at the point $Q$.
At , set :
(Check with -coordinate: , which is consistent).
3. Evaluate the gradient at $Q$ and formulate the equation of the tangent.
Gradient,
Equation of the tangent at :
Multiply by 9 to clear the fraction:
(shown)
11(iv)
1. Find the coordinates of point $P$ based on the condition given in part (ii).
From the parametric equations, find :
The tangent at is parallel to , which has a gradient of :
Substitute into the equations for :
So, has coordinates .
2. Find the coordinates of point $R$, the $x$-intercept of the tangent at $Q$.
The equation of the tangent at is given as .
To find where it cuts the -axis, set :
So, has coordinates .
3. Calculate the area of triangle $PQR$.
The coordinates are , , and .
Notice that and share the same -coordinate (), so forms a vertical line segment.
The length of the base is:
The perpendicular height from to the line is the horizontal distance between their -coordinates:
11(v)
1. Substitute the parametric equations of $C$ into the equation of the tangent at $Q$.
The equation of the tangent at is given as .
Substitute and into the equation:
Divide by 2 to simplify:
2. Solve the cubic equation for $t$ by using the known repeated root at the point of tangency.
Find the parameter at the point :
Because the line is tangent to at , must be a repeated root of the cubic equation. This means is a factor.
By comparing coefficients (or long division), we factorise the cubic:
For point , which is the other intersection point, we solve the remaining factor:
3. Find the coordinates of $S$ by substituting the new value of $t$ back into the parametric equations.
Substitute into the parametric equations for :
The coordinates of are .
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