Course: Vector Calculus

Instructor: Adnan Aslam

October 23, 2020

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Curves in Space and Their Tangents
• When a particle moves through space during a time interval I , we
think of the particle’s coordinates as functions defined on I :

x = f (t), y = g (t), z = h(t), t ∈ I . (1)

The points (x, y , z) = (f (t), g (t), h(t)), t ∈ I , make up the curve in

space that we call the particle’s path.
• The equations and interval in Equation (1) parametrize the curve.
• A curve in space can also be represented in vector form. The vector
−→
r(t) = OP = f (t)i + g (t)j + h(t)k

from the origin to the particle’s position P(f (t), g (t), h(t)) at time t
is the particle’s position vector.

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EXAMPLE
Graph the vector function

r(t) = (cos t)i + (sin t)j + tk.

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Arc Length in Space

One of the features of smooth space and plane curves is that they have a
measurable length. This enables us to locate points along these curves by
giving their directed distance s along the curve from some base point, the
way we locate points on coordinate axes by giving their directed distance
from the origin

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Arc Length Along a Space Curve
The length of a smooth curve r(t) = x(t)i + y (t)j + z(t)k, a ≤ t ≤ b,
that is traced exactly once as t increases from t = a to t = b, is
s
Z b  2  2  2
dx dy dz
L= + + dt
a dt dt dt
Z b
L= |v|dt
a

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Arc Length Parameter with Base Point P(t0 )
• If we choose a base point P(t0 ) on a smooth curve C parametrized by
t, each value of t determines a point P(t) = (x(t), y (t), z(t)) on C
and a “directed distance”

Z t
s(t) = |v(τ )|dτ
t0

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Arc Length Parameter with Base Point P(t0 )
• Z tq
s(t) = [x 0 (τ )]2 + [y 0 (τ )]2 + [z 0 (τ )]2 dτ
t0

measured along C from the base point.

• If t > t0 , s(t) is the distance along the curve from P(t0 ) to P(t).
• If t < t0 , s(t) is the negative of the distance.
• Each value of s determines a point on C , and this parametrizes C
with respect to s.
• We call s an arc length parameter for the curve.
• The parameter’s value increases in the direction of increasing t.
• We will see that the arc length parameter is particularly effective for
investigating the turning and twisting nature of a space curve.

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DEFINITION Unit Tangent Vector
The unit tangent vector of a smooth curve r (t) is

dr dr/dt v
T= = = .
ds ds/dt |v|

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Exercise 13.3 Questions 1-16, 18.
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