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    How To Parametrize A Curve

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    Khalid Almuteri
    This document discusses how to parametrize curves. A parameterized curve is a map from an interval I to R^n, written as α(t) = (x1(t),...,xn(t)). Curves can be parametrized using trigonometric identities or by letting t represent x or y values. While any curve can theoretically be parametrized, finding the expression is not always easy and parametrizations are not unique. Common parametrization tricks include using trigonometric functions, letting t represent x or y, or using t^2 to avoid taking square roots.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    How To Parametrize A Curve

    Uploaded by

    Khalid Almuteri
    196 views3 pages
    This document discusses how to parametrize curves. A parameterized curve is a map from an interval I to R^n, written as α(t) = (x1(t),...,xn(t)). Curves can be parametrized using trigonometric identities or by letting t represent x or y values. While any curve can theoretically be parametrized, finding the expression is not always easy and parametrizations are not unique. Common parametrization tricks include using trigonometric functions, letting t represent x or y, or using t^2 to avoid taking square roots.

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    how to parametrize a curve

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    This document discusses how to parametrize curves. A parameterized curve is a map from an interval I to R^n, written as α(t) = (x1(t),...,xn(t)). Curves can be parametrized using trigonometric identities or by letting t represent x or y values. While any curve can theoretically be parametrized, finding the expression is not always easy and parametrizations are not unique. Common parametrization tricks include using trigonometric functions, letting t represent x or y, or using t^2 to avoid taking square roots.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    196 views3 pages

    How To Parametrize A Curve

    Uploaded by

    Khalid Almuteri
    This document discusses how to parametrize curves. A parameterized curve is a map from an interval I to R^n, written as α(t) = (x1(t),...,xn(t)). Curves can be parametrized using trigonometric identities or by letting t represent x or y values. While any curve can theoretically be parametrized, finding the expression is not always easy and parametrizations are not unique. Common parametrization tricks include using trigonometric functions, letting t represent x or y, or using t^2 to avoid taking square roots.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    §2.2 How to parametrize a curve?

    Recall that a parameterized curve is a map α : I → Rn (n = 2 or 3). We can


    write α(t) = (x1 (t), x2 (t), . . . , xn (t)). Here t ∈ I is called the parameter. Sometimes,
    we emphasize the parameter by writing

    t 7→ α(t) = (x1 (t), x2 (t), . . . , xn (t)).

    A parameterized curve in R2 (i.e. a map α : I → R2 ) is called a plane curve. A


    parameterized curve in R3 (i.e. a map α : I → R3 ) is called a space curve.

    Theoretically, every curve can be parametrized. But, in practice, it is sometimes


    not easy to find the expression α. We also note that parameterizations are not unique,
    i.e., a curve can have many different parameterizations.

    Here are some common ways(tricks) in finding the parameterizations for a curve.

    • Use the trigonometric identities, like sin2 + cos2 t = 1, 1 + tan2 t = sec2 t,


    sinh2 t−cosh2 t = 1 etc. For example, to parametrize the unit circle x2 + y 2 = 1,
    we use x1 (t) = cos t, x2 (t) = sin t, i.e. α(t) = (cos t, sin t), 0 < t < 2π. The el-
    lipse x2 /a2 + y 2 /b2 = 1 can be parametrized as

    α(t) = (a cos t, b sin t), 0 < t < 2π.

    Note that the parameterizations are not unique. For example, for the upper-half
    unit circle, we can either parametrize it as

    α(t) = (cos t, sin t), 0 < t < π,

    or √
    α(t) = (t, 1 − t2 ), − 1 < t < 1.

    • If the curve is the graph of a function f (x), i.e. the curve is y = f (x), x ∈ I, then
    we can parametrize this curve as α(t) = (t, f (t)), t ∈ I (i.e. we let x = t). For
    example, the parabola y = x2 , x ∈ (−1, 1) has parametrization α(t) = (t, t2 ).
    Similarily (by switching x and y), if the curve is the graph of x = f (y), then
    we can parametrize this curve as α(t) = (f (t), t), t ∈ I (i.e. we let x = t). For
    example, the curve y 2 = x has parametrization α(t) = (t2 , t).

    1
    • While, in above, you use x = t, we sometimes can use x = t2 to avoid taking
    the square root. For example, consider the curve y 2 = x again. We see that
    x must be non-negative, so if you want to choose a parameter for t, you you
    can let x = t2 for t ∈ (−∞, +∞). Then y = t. So it parametrization can
    be chosen as α(t) = (t2 , t), t ∈ (−∞, +∞). Note that if we choose x = t
    for t ∈ [0, +∞) (rememeber x is always negative), and y = t1/2 , then α(t) =
    (t, t1/2 ), t ∈ (0, +∞) is NOT the parametrization of the curve y 2 = x, since
    it only represents HALF part (where y ≥ 0) of the curve. Similarly, for the
    cuspidal cubic
    y 2 = x3 .
    If we let x = t2 , then y = t3 (note, if we take x = t, then we need to take the
    square root to get y. In this case, we would have to worry about the sign!).
    Hence, we get the following parametrization for cuspidal cubic α(t) = (t2 , t3 ).
    (see the figure below). In the same spirite, consider the curve y 2 = x2 (x + 1)
    (see the graph below). Note that x + 1 must be non-negative, so if we let
    x + 1 = t2 , t ∈ (−∞, +∞) (or equivalently x = t2 − 1), then we get y 2 =
    (t2 − 1)2 t2 = ((t2 − 1)t)2 , so its parametrization for cuspidal cubic α(t) =
    (t2 − 1, (t2 − 1)t), t ∈ (−∞, +∞).

    2
    What you should know:

    • Theoretically, every curve can be parametrized. But, in practice, it is not easy


    to find the expression for α. The parameterizations are not unique, i.e., a curve
    can have many different parameterizations.

    • Given a parametrization α, you should be able to sketch its trace. For example,
    what is the trace of α(t) = (a cos t, a sin t, bt).

    • On the other hand, given a curve which is not parametrized, say the circle
    x2 + y 2 = 1, you should know how to find its parametrization.

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