Parametric

Question

Parametric

anonymous · Answer

@Kainui

anonymous · Answer

Ok so lets say we have $$x=\sin2t~~~y=\cos2t~~~~~~~~~~~0 \le t \le 2\pi$$

anonymous · Answer

So if you plug in random points you would eventually get a circle right?

kainui · Answer

You'd actually get two circles on top of each other.

anonymous · Answer

Well yeah you're just moving around it twice, but I don't really see what this is trying to teach lol

anonymous · Answer

Wait so is the whole point to eliminate t?

kainui · Answer

Yeah, basically that's all it is it seems to me. It's just like a physics problem where maybe you know x and y and t is unknown. But it doesn't matter what t is since you can just get around that fact with two equations by plugging one into the other.

anonymous · Answer

Yeah I'm just starting this and thought it was quite odd compared to like the other things you do in previous calculus course, integrals and such haha.

kainui · Answer

Yeah the point is they're getting you to convert between rectangular and polar coordinate systems I guess that's part of it.

anonymous · Answer

So just to be safe, I should always make a table of values and then connect the dots yeah?