Feb 16 - Arc Length

The main topic for today was finding the length of a curve (given either with parametric equations or as y as a function of x). The fundamental idea is pretty easy (Pythagorean Theorem!) with some algebra tricks thrown in to make the formula an integral.

Unfortunately, while it's a pretty cool topic - most of the integrals generated are ridiculously tough to evaluate. Almost always, you have a square root and it involves something more complicated than a linear function. So for these types of problems, expect to have to just set up the integral (or be allowed to use the calculator to find a numerical answer).

Notes from class are below.