Question
Approximating the Length of a Curve Consider the length of the graph of $f(x)=5 / x$ from (1,5) to (5,1)(a) Approximate the length of the curve by finding the distance between its two endpoints, as shown in the first figure.(b) Approximate the length of the curve by finding the sum of the lengths of four line segments, as shown in the second figure.(c) Describe how you could continue this process to obtaina more accurate approximation of the length of the curve.
Step 1
We use the distance formula which is $\sqrt{(x_2-x_1)^2 + (y_2-y_1)^2}$. Here, $(x_1,y_1) = (1,5)$ and $(x_2,y_2) = (5,1)$. So, the distance is $\sqrt{(5-1)^2 + (1-5)^2} = \sqrt{4^2 + (-4)^2} = \sqrt{16+16} = \sqrt{32} \approx 5.657$. Show more…
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