Finding Perpendicular Spirals in a Family of Curves

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on identifying a family of curves, specifically spirals, where the tangent at any point on one curve is perpendicular to the tangent at a corresponding point on another curve. The user proposes that these curves should intersect at a single point and can be generated by rotating one curve around this point. The mathematical foundation involves the relationship between the first derivatives of the curves, requiring that the product of the slopes equals -1 for perpendicularity. A sufficient condition mentioned is the family of circles passing through a common point.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of calculus, particularly derivatives and integrals
  • Familiarity with the concept of tangents in geometry
  • Knowledge of spiral curves and their properties
  • Basic understanding of the geometric relationship between curves
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the properties of spiral curves and their equations
  • Study the conditions for tangents to be perpendicular in calculus
  • Investigate the family of circles and their geometric implications
  • Learn about the integration techniques for arc length calculations
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Mathematicians, geometry enthusiasts, and students studying calculus and curve analysis will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the geometric properties of curves and their tangents.

IWantToLearn
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I am looking for a family of curves where if we consider one curve of them and get the tangent of that curve at any arbitrary point on the curve, then you will always find a point in the other curves where the tangent of this point is perpendicular to the tangent of the first point.

My guess for the solution of this, is that i am looking for a family of spirals that is sink in or out of some point.
but this is just a guess without any rigorous prove,

I tried this:
let ##y_n## be the family of curves, consider two adjacent curves ##y_1 (x)## and ##y_2 (x)##, and that first derivatives (slopes of the tangents) are ##y^\prime_1## and ##y^\prime_2##

for those two tangents to be perpendicular we must have ##y^\prime_1 y^\prime_2 = -1##

lets consider ##S## an equal distance around the curves, where ##S_1 = S_2 = S##, then we have :

##S_1 = \int_{x_1}^{x_2} \sqrt{1+{y^\prime_1}^2} \, dx##
##S_2 = \int_{x_3}^{x_4} \sqrt{1+{y^\prime_2}^2} \, dx##

Assuming we know all the integration boundaries ##x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4##
so we can write

##\int_{x_1}^{x_2} \sqrt{1+{y^\prime_1}^2} \, dx = \int_{x_3}^{x_4} \sqrt{1+\frac{1}{{y^\prime_1}^2}} \, dx##

but i don't know what to do next?
 
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IWantToLearn said:
you will always find a point in the other curves where the tangent of this point is perpendicular to the tangent of the first point.
A sufficient condition would be that for any given slope and any given curve there is a point on the curve at which the tangent has that slope. The family of circles of a given radius and passing through a common point would do.
 

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