Question

What is the velocity vector of a particle traveling to the right along the hyperbola y=x^-1 with a constant speed 5cm/s when the particle's location is (2,1/2)?

Answer 1

find the derivative of 1/x
sub.s in x=2; that gives you the direction of V at that point...

Answer 2

length of V is 5

Answer 3

does that help?

Answer 4

No not really, The answer in the back of the book is <20/sqrt17, -5/sqrt17> I have no idea how they got that :/

Answer 5

m = rise/run = (-1/4) /1

find the unit vector of < 1, -1/4> and multiply it by 5

Answer 6

what's the magnitude of <1 , -1/4>

Answer 7

sqrt( 1^2 + (-1/4)^2)

Answer 8

sqrt(17/16)

Answer 9

5 * 1/(sqrt(17/16)) * <1 , -1/4>

Answer 10

Thank you so much ^_^ that problem was giving me grief.

Answer 11

sure:)