Section Summary: 14.2

This section simply ``states the obvious'' in some important cases of the usual calculus operations: they will be carried out in the obvious way - component-wise!

  1. Definitions

    The derivative of vector-valued function r with respect to parameter t, where tex2html_wrap_inline218 , is given by

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    provided that the component functions are differentiable functions. One might choose to understand as the tangent vector to the space curve of the motion at time t. The second derivative is obtained in the obvious way, by differentiating the derivative function component by component.

    Speed of the point in motion is given by the norm of the vector derivative:

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    Smooth: a space curve given by the vector function r(t) on an interval I is called smooth if r' is continuous and tex2html_wrap_inline222 on I, with the possible exception of the end points.

    One operatives similarly for integrals:

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    where R is an anti-derivative of r. The usual integration rules apply....

  2. Theorems

    The usual rules of differentiation apply: suppose that u and v are differentiable vector-valued functions, c is a scalar, and f is a real-valued function. Then

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  3. Properties/Tricks/Hints/Etc.

    None to speak of.

  4. Summary

    The (very good!) news is that the basic operations of differentiation and integration for vector-valued functions are carried out exactly the way we would expect, including the chain rule, the sum rule, and three different versions of the product rule!




Mon Nov 17 19:12:02 EST 2003