CURVE TRACING

Double Point: A point through which two branches of a curve pass is called a Double Point. At the
double point the curve has two tangents.
1. If the tangents are real and distinct then the double point is called Node.
2. If the tangents are real and coincident then the double point is called Cusp.
3. If the tangents are imaginary then the double point is called a Conjugate Point or Isolated
point.
Point of Inflection: A point where the curve crosses the tangents is called Point of inflection.
Tracing Cartesian Curves: Let f(x, y) =0 ------------ (1), be the equation of the curve
1. Symmetry:
i. The curve is said to be symmetric about the X-axis if the equation (1) is unaltered
when y is replaced by –y (or) only even powers of y occur in (1) i.e., f(x, -y)=f(x, y).
Ex: y 2  4ax , x 3  ay 2
ii. The curve is said to be symmetric about the Y-axis if the equation (1) is unaltered
when x is replaced by –x (or) only even powers of x occur in (1) i.e., f(-x, y)=f(x, y).
Ex: x 2  4ay , y  x 4  x 2  2
iii. The curve is said to be symmetric about both X and Y axes if (1) has even powers of
x and y only.
x2 y2
Ex: 2
 2  1, x 2 y 2  a 2 ( y 2  x 2 )
a b
iv. The curve is said to be symmetric about the origin if (1) is unaltered when x and y are
replaced by –x and –y i.e., f(–x, –y) = f(x, y).
Ex: x 5  y 5  y
v. The curve is said to be symmetric about the line y = x if equation (1) is unaltered
when x and y are replaced by y and x. i.e., f(x, y) = f(y, x).
Ex: xy  c 2 , x 3  y 3  3axy
vi. The curve is said to be symmetric about the line y = – x if equation (1) is unaltered
when x and y are replaced by –y and –x i.e., f(x, y) = f(–y, –x).
Ex: x 3  y 3  3axy
2. Origin:
If equation (1) has no constants then the curve passes through the origin.
Equate the lowest degree terms to zero to get the equations of the tangents at origin.
Ex: y 2  4ax passes through the origin. y 2  4ax + c not passes through the origin.
3. Region:
If possible write the given equation in the form y = f(x). Give values to x to make y
imaginary. Let y be imaginary for the values of x between x = a and x = b. Then, no part
of the curve lies between x = a and x = b.
Similarly, the curve doesn’t lie between those values of y for which x are imaginary.
x( x  1) 3
Ex: y 
2
, y is imaginary for x  1 or x  3 .
3 x
Hence there is no curve to the left of x = 1 and the right of x = 3.

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4. Points:
Intercepts:
The X-intercept is obtained by putting y=0 in (1) and solving for x. The Y-intercept is
obtained by putting x = 0 in (1) and solving for y.
Points of intersection:
When curve is symmetric about the line y   x , the points of intersection are obtained by
putting y   x in (1).
dy
The point where the tangent is parallel to X-axis is obtained by  0 and the point where
dx
dy
the tangent is parallel to Y-axis is obtained by  .
dx
5. Extension of the curve to infinity: Give values to x for which the value of y is infinity and
also give values to y for which the value of x is infinity. These values indicate the
directions in which the curve extends to infinity.
6. Asymptotes:
An asymptote of any curve is a straight line at a finite distance from the origin which cuts
the curve in two points at an infinite distance.
Asymptotes parallel to X-axis are obtained by equating the coefficient of the highest power
of x in (1) to zero.
Asymptotes parallel to Y-axis are obtained by equating the coefficient of the highest power
of y in (1) to zero.
Oblique asymptote:
An asymptote which is neither parallel to X-axis nor Y-axis.
To obtain the equation of an Oblique asymptote, substitute y=mx+c in (1) and equate the
coefficients of the first two highest powers of x to zero to find the values of m and c. Thus
y=mx+c will serve as an oblique asymptote.
 y
Y=mx+c is oblique asymptote where m  lim   and c  lim  y  mx  if y=f(x) is
x 
 x
x 

equation of the curve.

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 d2y
1. >0 then curve is convex or concave upward.
dx 2

d2y
2. <0 then curve is concave downward.
dx 2

d2y
3. A point at which =0 is known as an inflection point where the curve changes the
dx 2
direction of concavity from downward to upward or vice versa.
Questions:
1. Trace the curve y 2 (a  x)  x3 where a>0.(Cissoid)
2. Trace the curve y 2 (a  x)  x 2 (3a  x)
3. Trace the curve x3  y 3  3axy . (Folium of Descartes).
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4. Trace the curve y  x  .
x
Tracing Polar Curves: Let f (r , )  0 ------------- (1) be the equation of the curve.
1. Symmetry:
i. A curve is symmetric about the initial line (  = 0) if the equation is unaltered when
 is replaced by   i.e. f (r , )  f (r , ) . Ex: r = a (1 – cos  )
ii. A curve is symmetric about the pole if the equation is unaltered when r is replaced
by  r i.e. f (r , )  f (r , ) . Or f (r , )  f (r ,    ) . Ex: r 2  a 2 cos 2

iii. A curve is symmetric about the line   if the equation is unaltered when  is
2
replaced by    i.e. f (r , )  f (r ,    ) Ex: r = a (1 + sin  )
 
iv. A curve is symmetric about the line   if f (r ,  )  f (r ,  )
4 2
Ex: r = a sin 2 
3 3
v. A curve is symmetric about the line   if f (r ,  )  f (r ,  )
4 2
Ex: r = a sin 2 
2. Limits or Region:
Find the greatest value of r numerically, so that the portion of the curve is within a circle.
Find the values of  for which r is imaginary.
3. Pole:
If r  f (1 )  0 for some   1 then curve passes through the pole and the tangent at the
pole is   1 .
4. Asymptotes: If lim r   then an asymptote to the curve exists and is given by the
 1

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 1
equation r sin(  1 )  f (1 ) where 1 is the solution of  0.
f ( )
5. Points of intersection:

Points of intersection of the curve with the initial line and the line   are obtained by
2

putting   0 and   respectively in the equation.
2
6. Direction of tangent:
d
Tangent at any point (r , ) on the curve is determined from tan   r where  is the
dr
angle between radius vector and the tangent.

The tangents at   0 and   are parallel and perpendicular to the radius vector
2
respectively.
7. Loop:
Curves of the type r  a sin n and r  a cos n are called roses consist of either n or 2n
equal loops according as n is odd or even.
Questions:
1. Trace the curve r 2  a 2 cos 2 . (Lemniscate of Bernoulli).
2. Trace the curve r  a(1  cos ) (Cardioid).
Tracing parametric curves: let x=f(t) and y=g(t) be the parametric equations of a curve.
1. Symmetry:
i. Curve is symmetric about X-axis if x is even function of t and y is odd function of t.
ii. Curve is symmetric about Y-axis if x is odd function of t and y is even function of t.
iii. If both x and y are odd functions of t then the curve is symmetric in opposite
quadrants.
2. Origin:
Find the real value of t for which x=0 and if y=0 for the same value of t then curve passes
through the origin.
3. Intercepts:
To find X-intercept, put y=0 and obtain the value of t and then find the value of x by
substituting this t and vice versa.
4. Region:
Find the greatest and least values of x and y. Find the region in which no part of the curve
lies by the imaginary values of x and y.
5. Tangents:
dy (dy / dt)
Vertical and horizontal tangents exist at the point where  is  or 0.
dx (dx / dt)
6. If x and y are periodic functions with a common period, it is enough to trace the curve for
one period.
Questions: Trace the Cycloid x  a(  sin ), y  a(1  cos ) .
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