If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

Main content

Parametric equations differentiation

Sal finds the derivative of the function defined by the parametric equations x=sin(1+3t) and y=2t³, and evaluates it at t=-⅓.

Want to join the conversation?

  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user jonpan4
    Instead of using the equation dy/dx = (dy/dt)/(dx/dt) Sal mentioned at , is it possible to isolate t on one of the equations, plug it into the other, and solve for the derivative?
    (16 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • duskpin sapling style avatar for user Vu
      You can, but it would be much messier. It will have different form but is equivalent (at least in this problem).

      Given x = 2sin(1+3t) and y = 2t³. We want to find dy/dx so we want a function y(x). This mean we need to find t in term of x.

      x = 2 sin(1+3t)
      x/2 = sin(1+3t)
      arcsin(x/2) = 1 + 3t
      [arcsin(x/2) - 1]/3 = t

      Now substitute that in for t in y equation.
      y = 2t³ = 2[(arcsin(x/2) -1)/3]³
      dy/dx = 6 [(arcsin(x/2) -1)/3]² * [1/3 * 1/√(1 - (x/2)²)] * 1/2

      We are asked to find dy/dx when t = -1/3. We have dy/dx in term of x so we need to find what x is when t = -1/3, so we use x = 2sin(1+3t) = 2sin(1+3(-1/3)) = 2sin(0) = 0. So x=0 when t=-1/3

      6 [(arcsin(0/2) -1)/3]² * [1/3 * 1/√(1 - (0/2)²)] * 1/2
      = 6 * [(0-1)/3]² * [1/3 * 1/√(1-0)] * 1/2
      = 6 * 1/9 * 1/3 * 1/2
      = 6/54 = 1/9
      (31 votes)
  • starky ultimate style avatar for user Randolfo
    I didn't get why dy/dx = (dy/dt)/(dx/dt). I have an intuition why this works, but I need a better explanation. This would be make me happier!
    (14 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user Stas kaufman
    this video is very unclear. it's the first time that I did not understand sal explanation
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • aqualine ultimate style avatar for user خالد (Khaled) Allen
      Which part did you first get confused at? There were two confusing parts for me:

      1) when he just says that you can do
      dy/dx = (dy/dt)/(dx/dt)
      as if they were just fractions, even though they are not. It does make sense if you think of
      dy/dx
      as "the infinitely small change in y over the infinitely small change in x", because that just means "slope, but over a tiny (infinitely small) interval". Then
      dy/dt
      and
      dx/dt
      just mean a change in some function y and a change in some function x, which are each in terms of a variable t. If you did that with a normal slope, you'd cancel out the third variable, like Sal does here.

      2) The other area of confusion might have to do with how parametric functions work, since Sal actually doesn't do a quick review here at all. Normally, the y-value of a function is determined by the x value of the function (like a line
      y=2x+3
      ). In a parametric function, the y and the x values of the function are broken out and defined separately, then put together after they have been defined. You could think of it like your regular (x,y) coordinates, except that the x and the y are being defined by another set of function, like this:
      (x,y)=( 2sin(3t) , 2t^3 )


      Another way to think about it is that the parametric equation tells you where you pencil should be, in x,y coordinates, at any time after you start drawing the graph.

      This allows you to have a graph that violates the vertical line test, as this one does.

      check out this video for an introduction to parametrics: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra-home/alg-trig-functions/alg-parametric/v/parametric-equations-1
      (27 votes)
  • male robot hal style avatar for user Raivat Shah
    At , Sal is just using a modified version of the Chain rule right?
    (6 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • spunky sam green style avatar for user Muhammad Nawal
      Yes, the two parametric equation can be seen as composite functions..... sal's this example can also be seen as composite function but they are a little messy to seperate. so i have a less messy example for you........... see........... y=cost and x= arcsin(t) .............these are parametric equations but if we seperate t in 2nd equation as t=sinx then this function can be substitute in 1st equation ......... y=cos(sinx) or y=cos(t(x)).......... then there is question why sal divides like (dy/dt)/dx/dt ............. and it is because chain rule say first take derivative of outside function with respect to inside function and we exactly do that...... dy/dt.......... and then inside funtion with respect to x and that is what we don't do........ we take derivative of x with respect to inside function...look......we take derivative of x= arcsin(t) that is dx/dt but that should be dt/dx ...... therefore we divide..... hope that helps....!
      (5 votes)
  • winston default style avatar for user Yuvraj Singh Jadon
    Does the graph shown in the video represents a functions?
    I think it doesn't as for x = 0 there seem more than 1 value for y.
    (4 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • mr pink red style avatar for user Leonard
    dy/dx is normally defined as the derivative of the continuous function y of x but in this case y is clearly not a function of x. So how do you rigorously define dy/dx in the general case?

    Maybe it's silly but my brain wants to simply reject this as a "syntax error".
    (4 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Paulina Nguyen
    Just out of curiosity, how does the graph used in the video work? Does the horizontal axis represent x and the vertical represent y? Also, how do you graph this on only two axises if there also a t variable?
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Km Figuerrez
    At , how come did he move four and a half?
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
    • leaf red style avatar for user Gustavo de Medeiros
      Sal is trying to pickup another point in the tangent line to draw it properly. The slope is 1/9, so if you move 1 to the right along x axis, you need to move 1/9 up in the y axis. He moved 4.5 to the right along x axis so he needs to move 0.5 (4.5*1/9 = 4.5/9 = 0.5) up along y axis. The dot 4.5 right and 0.5 up was chosen because it's easier to plot than the dot 1 right and 1/9 up.
      (6 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user ZOU Vicky
    It seems that there are two derivatives on the graph, how come there's only one answer ? Shouldn't there be another derivative at =-1/3 other than 1/9?
    (3 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • male robot hal style avatar for user Vincent Pace
    In one of the practice questions for parametric functions differentiation, you need to get the derivative of 4e^(6t), which the hints show to be equal to 24e^(6t). If the derivative of e^x is e^x, isn't the derivative of e^(6t) also e^(6t)? If not, how is it that you only bring down the 6 and not also the t?
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user

Video transcript

- [Voiceover] So what we have here is x being defined in terms of t and y being defined in terms of t, and then if you were to plot over all of the t values, you'd get a pretty cool plot, just like this. So you try, t equals zero, and figure out what x and y are, t is equal to one, figure out what x and y are, and all of the other ts, and then you get this pretty cool-looking graph. But the goal in this video isn't just to appreciate the coolness of graphs or curves, defined by parametric equations. But we actually want to do some calculus, in particular, we wanna find the derivative, we wanna find the derivative of y, with respect to x, the derivative of y with respect to x, when t, when t is equal to negative one third. And if you are inspired, I encourage you to pause and try to solve this. And I am about to do it with you, in case you already did, or you just want me to. (chuckles) All right, so the key is, is well, how do you find the derivative with respect to x, derivative of y with respect to x, when they're both defined in terms of t? And the key realization is the derivative of y with respect to x, with respect to x, is going to be equal to, is going to be equal to, the derivative of y with respect to t, over the derivative of x with respect to t. If you were to view these differentials as numbers, well this would actually work out mathematically. Now, it gets a little bit non-rigorous, when you start to do that, but, if you though of it that, it's an easy way of thinking about why this actually might make sense. The derivative of something versus something else, is equal to the derivative of y with respect to t, over x with respect to t. All right, so how does that help us? Well, we can figure out the derivative of x with respect to t and the derivative of y with respect to t. The derivative of x with respect to t is just going to be equal to, let's see, the derivative of the outside, with respect to the inside, it's going to be two sine whoops, the derivative of sign is cosine, two cosine of one plus three t, times the derivative of the inside with respect to t. So that's going to be, derivative of one is just zero. Derivative of three t with respect to t is three. So times three, that's the derivative of x with respect to t I just used the Chain Rule here. Derivative of the outside two sine of something, with respect to the inside, so derivative of this outside, two sine of something with respect to one plus three t, is that right over there. And the derivative of the inside with respect to t, is just our three. Now, the derivative of y with respect to t is a little bit more straight-forward. Derivative of y with respect to t, we just apply the Power Rule here, three times two is six, t to the three minus one power, six t squared. So this is going to be equal to six t squared, six t squared, over, well, we have the two times the three, so we have six times cosine of one plus three t, and then our sixes cancel out, and we are left with, we are left with t squared over cosine of one plus three t. And if we care when t is equal to negative one third, when t is equal to negative one third, this is going to be equal to, well, this is going to be equal to negative one third squared. Negative one third squared, over, over, over the cosine of one plus three times negative one third is negative one. So it's one plus negative one, so it's a cosine of zero. And the cosine of zero is just going to be one. So this is going to be equal to positive, positive one ninth. Now let's see if we can visualize what's going on here. So let me draw a little table here. So, I'm gonna plot, I'm gonna think about t, and x, and y. So t, and x, and y. So when t is equal to negative one third, well our x is going to be, this is going to be sine of zero, so our x is going to be zero, and our why is going to be, what, two over, or negative two over 27. So, we're talking about, we're talking about the point zero comma negative two over 27. So that is that point right over there. That's the point where we're trying to find the slope of the tangent line. It's telling us that that slope is one ninth, that slope is one ninth, so if we move, I guess one way to think about it is if we move four, one, two, three, four and a half, we're gonna move up half. So, if I wanted to draw the tangent line right there, it would look something like, something like that. Something, something, something like that. Let's see if we've got, one, two, three, four, and a half, that's what we got, just like that is pretty close. So that's what we just figured out. We figured out that the slope of the tangent line, right at that point is one ninth. So, it's not only neat to look at, but I guess somewhat useful.