Lesson Plan: Slope of a Polar Curve Mathematics • Higher Education
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to find the derivatives of polar curves and the slope of a polar curve.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- find the derivatives , , and for a curve given in polar coordinates,
- use these derivatives to describe the slopes of curves,
- identify horizontal and vertical tangents to polar curves.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- polar coordinates,
- converting between rectangular and polar coordinates,
- differentiation.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- integration of polar curves.