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gunch
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Hi, I have a problem with an exercise in the book "A First Course in Calculus, fifth edition". The problem is stated as follows:
"A particle moves differentiably on the parabola [tex]y=x^2[/tex]. At what point on the curve are its x- and y-coordinate moving at the same rate? (You may assume dx/dt and dy/dt is not equal to 0 for all t)"
According to the book the answers should be 1/2 and 1/4 however I only get 1/2.
I solve it, as follows:
Their rate is the same when
[tex]\frac{dx}{dy}=\frac{dy}{dx}[/tex]
so I differentiate the equation with respect to x.
[tex]\frac{dy}{dx}=2x[/tex]
And then with respect to y.
[tex]1=2x\frac{dx}{dy}[/tex]
[tex]\frac{dx}{dy}=\frac{1}{2x}[/tex]
Then to find when their rate of change is the same I write:
[tex]\frac{1}{2x}=2x[/tex]
[tex]4x^2=1[/tex]
[tex]x=\sqrt{1/4}[/tex]
[tex]x=\frac{1}{2}[/tex]
So, what have I done wrong? I'm not all that familiar with this stuff yet so I may have misunderstood the exercise.
"A particle moves differentiably on the parabola [tex]y=x^2[/tex]. At what point on the curve are its x- and y-coordinate moving at the same rate? (You may assume dx/dt and dy/dt is not equal to 0 for all t)"
According to the book the answers should be 1/2 and 1/4 however I only get 1/2.
I solve it, as follows:
Their rate is the same when
[tex]\frac{dx}{dy}=\frac{dy}{dx}[/tex]
so I differentiate the equation with respect to x.
[tex]\frac{dy}{dx}=2x[/tex]
And then with respect to y.
[tex]1=2x\frac{dx}{dy}[/tex]
[tex]\frac{dx}{dy}=\frac{1}{2x}[/tex]
Then to find when their rate of change is the same I write:
[tex]\frac{1}{2x}=2x[/tex]
[tex]4x^2=1[/tex]
[tex]x=\sqrt{1/4}[/tex]
[tex]x=\frac{1}{2}[/tex]
So, what have I done wrong? I'm not all that familiar with this stuff yet so I may have misunderstood the exercise.
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