swertel
Mechanical
- Dec 21, 2000
- 2,067
I thought this problem would be pretty simple in MathCAD.
I have a defined curve and I know the point along the curve in which I want to determine the slope. Solution is to take the derivative of the curve with respect to x and then solve for y' based on the intersection point.
The problem I have with MathCAD is that it always takes just the partial differential and treats y as a constant.
Say I have an ellipse.
x^2 +xy + y^2 = 4
I take the derivative and I get
2x + y + xy' + 2yy' = 0
but MathCAD only gives me
2x + y
I can't find the slope of the curve (y') without the y' being in the solution. How do I a)force MathCAD to not use a partial differential equation or b)find the slope of the curve at a known point?
--Scott
I have a defined curve and I know the point along the curve in which I want to determine the slope. Solution is to take the derivative of the curve with respect to x and then solve for y' based on the intersection point.
The problem I have with MathCAD is that it always takes just the partial differential and treats y as a constant.
Say I have an ellipse.
x^2 +xy + y^2 = 4
I take the derivative and I get
2x + y + xy' + 2yy' = 0
but MathCAD only gives me
2x + y
I can't find the slope of the curve (y') without the y' being in the solution. How do I a)force MathCAD to not use a partial differential equation or b)find the slope of the curve at a known point?
--Scott