When Does r^{\rightarrow} Make a 45^o Angle with x- and y-Axes?

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So, in summary, to find when the velocity vector makes an angle of 45 degrees with the x- and y-axes, you can either set the scalar product of \vec a = \hat i - \hat j and \vec r = bt^2i + ct^3j equal to zero, or require that the x and y components of the velocity vector are equal.
  • #1
CellCoree
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If [tex]r^{\rightarrow} = bt^2i+ct^3j[/tex], where [tex]b[/tex] and [tex]c[/tex] are positive constants, when does the velocity vector make an angle of [tex]45.0^o[/tex] with the x- and y-axes?


i & j are vectors.

i have no clue on how to start it, can anyone give me a hint?
 
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  • #2
There are several approaches you could take. Here's one:

A vector that is at right angles to the the 45 degree direction is [itex]\vec a = \hat i - \hat j[/tex]. Now form the scalar product [itex]\vec a \cdot \vec r[/tex] and set it equal to zero. The desired result will follow!
 
  • #3
Alternatively, require that the x and y components of the velocity vector are equal.

EDIt:
Tide, I believe he's been given the position vector, not the velocity vector..
 
  • #4
arildno said:
Alternatively, require that the x and y components of the velocity vector are equal.

EDIt:
Tide, I believe he's been given the position vector, not the velocity vector..

Thanks, arildno! Change that to [itex]\vec a \cdot \vec v[/itex] with [itex]\vec v \frac{d\vec r}{dt}[/itex].
 

1. What is r^{\rightarrow}?

r^{\rightarrow} is a vector, which is a mathematical object that has both magnitude (or size) and direction. In this case, r^{\rightarrow} represents a specific point in space.

2. What does it mean for r^{\rightarrow} to make a 45^o angle with the x- and y-axes?

This means that if we were to draw a line from the origin (the point where the x- and y-axes intersect) to the point represented by r^{\rightarrow}, that line would form a 45^o angle with both the x- and y-axes.

3. How do we determine when r^{\rightarrow} makes a 45^o angle with the x- and y-axes?

To determine when r^{\rightarrow} makes a 45^o angle with the x- and y-axes, we can use the dot product between r^{\rightarrow} and the unit vectors for the x- and y-axes. If the dot product is equal to the cosine of 45^o (or 1/√2), then r^{\rightarrow} is making a 45^o angle with both axes.

4. Can r^{\rightarrow} make a 45^o angle with the x- and y-axes at different points?

Yes, it is possible for r^{\rightarrow} to make a 45^o angle with the x- and y-axes at different points. This means that the point represented by r^{\rightarrow} is not fixed and can vary depending on the angle it makes with the axes.

5. Are there any other angles that r^{\rightarrow} can make with the x- and y-axes?

Yes, r^{\rightarrow} can make an infinite number of angles with the x- and y-axes. The angle it makes depends on the specific values of r^{\rightarrow} and the unit vectors for the x- and y-axes.

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