How to Find the Length of the Curve r(t) = 5t, 3cos(t), 3sin(t) at t = 3?

To find the length of the curve given by the parametric equations r(t) = (5t, 3cos(t), 3sin(t)), we will use the formula for the length of a curve.

The length L of a curve defined by parametric equations from t = a to t = b is given by:

L = ∫ab √((dx/dt)² + (dy/dt)² + (dz/dt)²) dt

In our case, the parameters are:

  • x(t) = 5t
  • y(t) = 3cos(t)
  • z(t) = 3sin(t)

We’ll first compute the derivatives with respect to t:

  • dx/dt = 5
  • dy/dt = -3sin(t)
  • dz/dt = 3cos(t)

Now we plug these into our formula:

L = ∫03 √((5)² + (-3sin(t))² + (3cos(t))²) dt

This simplifies to:

= ∫03 √(25 + 9sin²(t) + 9cos²(t)) dt

Since sin²(t) + cos²(t) = 1, we can further simplify:

= ∫03 √(25 + 9) dt

= ∫03 √34 dt

Now we can compute the integral:

= √34 * t |03

= √34 * (3 – 0)

= 3√34

Thus, the length of the curve from t = 0 to t = 3 is 3√34.

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