Calculating Length Along X-Axis for a Rotating Line

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
2 replies · 2K views
karen_lorr
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Hi

(I hope this is the right place to post this - sorry if it's not)

Say I have a line (in the graphic is shown a 10mm but it could be any length) and it rotates around a point at one end.

What is the formula to get the length along the x-axis directly under the other end of the line. In the graphic that would be the distance between points a and x.

Thanks

K

The image is not showing so here is the link the my Hotmail onedrive file
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlXOOGaTv36QeRu1RrJucYZFTB0

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlXOOGaTv36QeRu1RrJucYZFTB0

EDIT - I have tried using a Taylor Series but it's been a long time since I was a school :-)
It's simple on a calculator with the cosine of the angle and the line as a hypotenous but I am trying to get the maths formula.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
for angle ##a## made by line with x axis,length along x-axis will be ##10\ cos(a)##