ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES

IN CARTESIAN COORDINATES
ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES
IN CARTESIAN COORDINATES

Submitted by:
RAFAE ASHFAQ
Submitted by:
08-EE-40
SHEHZEB ASHRAF
08-TE-24
 CONTENTS

• This presentation includes the following

– INTRODUCTION TO ORTHOGONAL
TRAJECTORIES.
– FINDING ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES
– APPLICATIONS
– EXAMPLES
INTRODUCTION
 ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES
In dictionary

ORTHOGONAL: Derived from greek word

“Ortogonios” meaning right angled.
TRAJECTORY: Derived from the latin word
“Trajectoria” meaning cut across.
So, orthogonal trajectories means cutting
something across the right angle.
CARTESIAN COORDINATES locate a point in terms of
its perpendicular distance from (two or three) mutually
perpendicular axes
 ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES
IN GEOMETRY

• In geometry, orthogonal means perpendicular

and trajectories mean curves or surfaces
cutting another family of curves or surfaces at
a constant angle. As we are relating it with the
word “orthogonal” so “ORTHOGONAL
TRAJECTORIES” means curves or surfaces
intersecting a family of curves or surfaces at
right angle where the angle is defined as the
angle between the tangents of the two curves.
 ORTHOGONAL FAMILIES
Similarly two families of curves will be orthogonal if
each curve in one family intersect the other family at
right angle. In other words, two families
F(x, y, c) = 0 and G(x, y,K) = 0
are orthogonal families if each member
of one family is an orthogonal trajectory of
the other family.
 FINDING
ORTHOGONAL TRAJECTORIES
 METHODS TO FIND ORTHOGONAL
TRAJECTORIES
There are two ways in which we can find the
differential equations to obtain orthogonal
trajectories.
Before going into the detail of these
methods we should be familiar with some of the
useful concepts which are related to these
concepts.
 DERIVATIVE AS THE SLOPE OF THE
CURVE
• Let AB be the arc of the graph of f defined by the
equation y=f(x). y

• Let P(x,f(x)) and Q(x+δx,f(x+δx)) B

be two neighbouring points on Q(x+δx),f(x+δx))

the arc AB. The line PQ is

secant of the curve and it A P(x,f(x))
R

x
O S M N

makes <α with the x-axis.

Drawing the ordinates of PM,
QN and the perpendicular
PR to NQ, we have
 RQ = NQ –NR =NQ –MP= f(x+δx) – f(x)
and PR = MN= ON –OM = x+δx-x = δx
Thus, tan m <α =tan m <RPQ y

RQ f(x + δx) − f(x)

= =
Q

PR δx
Q1

Q2

Q3

Revolving the secant line P

R3

T O S M x

PQ about P towards P,
some of its successive
positions PQ1, PQ2 , PQ3 , . . .
are shown in the figure.
Points Qi (i=1,2,3,…) are getting closer and
closer to the point P and PRi i.e.,δ xi (i=1,2,3,…)
are approaching to zero, that is,
tan m∠α → tan m∠XTP when δx → 0
f(x + δx) − f(x)
or → tan m∠XTP as δx → 0
δx
f(x + δx) − f(x)
limδx → 0 = tan m∠XTP
δx
or f' (x) = tan m∠XTP

Thus, the slope of the tangent line to the graph

of f at (x,f(x)) is f’(x) or dy/dx.
 SLOPE OF A CURVE PERPENDICULAR
TO ANOTHER CURVE

• Consider two curves C1 and C2 which intersect

each other at an angle α
y

at an arbitrary point P. C2
C1

In other words the

α

angle between their

tangents at P will be
φ
Ψ
O x

equal to angle α.
• To relate it to orthogonal trajectories, we
consider that C2 is perpendicular to C1. So,
angle α =90° or π/2 rad
The angle between x-axis and the tangent of
C1 at P is Φ and the angle between x-axis
and the tangent of C2 at P is Ψ. So,
angle α = Ψ – Φ
According to the basic trigonometric identity
 π
tan α = tan
2
= tan (ψ − φ)
tanΨ − tan φ
=
1 + tanΨ tan φ
As α = π/2, so tan α will be infinite, but the
numerator of the above equation is finite. So the
above equation will be infinite if and only if
1+ tanΨ tanΦ = 0
Showing that
1
tan Φ = −  (1)
tanψ
• Now, if dy/dx is the slope of the curve C1 at P,
dy/dx = tanΦ
and if dyo/dx is the slope of its orthogonal trajectory
at P,
dyo/dx = tanΨ
Thus from eq 1, we see that these two slopes are
related by the expression
dy 1
=−
dx dy 0
dx
 FINDING THE ORTHOGONAL
TRAJECTORIES

An important application of first order DE’s is

to find the orthogonal trajectories of a family
of curves F1, given by the equation:
f(x, y,C) = 0
This can be done by two ways
1. By using differential
2. By differentiating with respect to x.
 BY USING THE DIFFERENTIAL
Suppose we have to find the orthogonal trajectories of
a family of curves F1, given by the equation:
f(x, y,C) = 0 ….. (1)
To find the orthogonal trajectories, we may derive the
differential equations, whose solutions are described
by these trajectories. For this, we proceed as follows
The differential of eq. 1 will be

∂f ∂f
df = dx + dy
∂x ∂y
• Solving for dy/dx, we have
− δf
dy
= δx  (2)
dx δf
δy
If F2 is the family of curves perpendicular to F1,which is given
by
f(x0, y0,C0) = 0
then as we have proved earlier, its slope will be related to
the slope of F1 as below,
 dy 0 1
=−
dx 0 dy
dx
• Putting the value of dy/dx from eq. 2 in the
above equation
dy 1
=−
dx − δf
δx
δf
or δy
δf
dy δy fy
= =  (3)
dx δf fx
δx
• By integrating eq.3, we can get the
required equation of the family F2 which is
orthogonal to the family F1.
 BY DIFFERENTIATING WITH RESPECT
TO x
Suppose we have to find the orthogonal
trajectories of a family of curves, given by the
equation:
f(x, y,c) = 0 ….. (1)
To find the orthogonal trajectories, we would
have to find the differential equations, and by
integrating them we shall find the equations
described by these trajectories. For this, we
proceed as follows,
Differentiating both sides with respect to x,
we shall get the constant canceled, terms
• Containing y will give dy/dx. Solving for dy/dx
we shall get a function in c and y variables with
no constant. If constant is not eliminated yet,
then by solving the equation.1 for c and then
putting the value of c in dy/dx will give us the
derivative or slope of the given family.
• Now, as we have proved, the family of curves
passing perpendicularly through the given
family of curves will have slope or derivative
related to the given family will be
 dY −1
=
dX dy
dx

• By integrating this equation, we can get

the required family of curves.
 EXAMPLE
• Find the orthogonal trajectory of the following:
x2 + y2 = c2
SOLUTION
We have the family
x2 + y2 = c2
Differentiating both sides with respect to x, we have
2x + 2y dy/dx = 0
 dy x
⇒ =−
dx y
The orthogonal family will have the slope
dy
⇒ = −1
dx x
−
y
dy y
⇒ =
dx x
Re arranging and integrating both sides
1 1
⇒ ∫ x dx = ∫ y dy
⇒ lnx + lnc = lny
 ⇒ y = cx
which is the required
family of lines. These
two families can be
sketched as shown in
the figure.
APPLICATIONS
 APPLICATIONS
• Orthogonal trajectories has vast applications in
Physics, Engineering and many other fields.
Some of them are
– Heat conduction
– Fluid dynamics/hydrodynamics
– Electromagnetic theory
– Electrostatics
– Gravitation
– Elasticity
– Meteorology (Weather mapping)
– Geometric optics
 HEAT CONDUCTION
• Orthogonal trajectories arise in thermodynamics as
well. In heat conduction, isotherms are orthogonal to
the heat flow.
 Fluid dynamics/hydrodynamics
• Orthogonal trajectories arise in fluid dynamics
as well. In two dimensional fluid dynamics,
orthogonal trajectories express the
relationship between the curves followed by
the fluid particles called streamlines, and the
associated equipotential lines along which a
function called the fluid potential is constant.
 GRAVITATION
• Orthogonal trajectories also occur in
gravitational study. If the original family
represent the lines of force in a gravitational
field, its orthogonal trajectories represent the
equipotentials which are the curves along
which gravitational potential is constant.
 METEOROLOGY
• As another example,
consider a weather map.
The curves represent the
isobars, which are curves
connecting all cities that
report the same
barometric pressure at the
weather bureau.
 WORLD GLOBE
• Meridians and parallels on the world globe
are orthogonal trajectories of each other.
 ELASTICITY
• Orthogonal trajectories arise in elasticity
as well. When stress is applied in a body,
strain is produced. It is seen that the lines
of stress are orthogonal to the lines of
constant strain.
 Geometric Optics
• In geometric optics wave fronts are orthogonal
Light rays

trajectories of the rays.

Wave fronts