Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A radio dish is modelled by a family of parabolas with the axis along the -axis and the vertex at a point that can move: . The numbers and are both arbitrary constants. Positions are measured in metres. A technician forms the differential equation of the whole family by differentiating twice and eliminating and . State its order and its degree. Then take the particular parabola with and , so , and find the slope and the value of at the point of the upper branch where . Give each to four decimal places.
To form the equation of a family with constants, differentiate times and eliminate the constants. The result has order . Read its degree after clearing roots.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. The family with two constants, and the member .
Plan. Two constants mean a second-order equation. Differentiate twice. Then use the member.
Step 1. First derivative. , so . The constant has already gone.
Step 2. Second derivative. The product rule gives . So
Step 3. Order and degree. The highest derivative is and its power is . The order is and the degree is .
Step 4. The member. At we have , so on the upper branch. From we get .
Step 5. The second derivative. .
Answer: order , degree , and .
Check. The slope is positive on the upper branch and the curve bends downwards, which fits .
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