Homework Help: physics

Posted by Hannah on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:00pm.

A particle moves in a circle in such a way that the x- and y-coordinates of its motion are given in meters as functions of time t in seconds by:
x=5cos(3t)
y=5sin(3t)
What is the period of revolution of the particle?

Here's what my train of thought was... dy/dt over dx/dt would equal dy/dx which equals velocity. So velocity would be -cot(3t). But then how do I find r? Plus none of the answers here have a trig function in them... ???????

physics - bobpursley, Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:19pm
Hmmmm. You are not asked for r, you are asked for period, in time.

3t= 2PI*n n=0, 1, ...

t= 2/3 PI n try n=1 for the first rev.
physics - Hannah, Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:24pm
I was looking for r because period = [2(pi)(r)]/v......

And how did you get to 3t=2Pi*n???? What equation is that?????
physics - bobpursley, Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 10:00pm
solve t by the method I gave, for get r.

3t=0, 2PI, 4PI....is not the period of a sin function =2PI or a multiple thereof?
physics - Xen, Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 10:43pm
Well, just think about it logically: if the equation were x=5cos(t) and y=5sin(t), then the period of revolution (time for it to complete one cycle) would be 2 pi, because that's the period of the sin/cos function. However, since it's 3t instead of t, the cycle of rotation would be much faster: set 3t=2*pi, so t, or the new period of revolution, is 2*pi/3.

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