Question:

If the line ax+by+c=0 is a normal to the curve xy=1, then 
 

Updated On: Jun 23, 2024
  •  a>0, b>0 
     

  •  a>0, b<0 
     

  •  a<0,b<0 
     

  •  a=0, b=0

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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The curve xy = 1 can be written as y = 1/x, which means that the derivative of y with respect to x is: dy/dx = -1/x^2 

For a normal to the curve at a given point, the slope of the tangent at that point is given by: m = -1/dy/dx = x^2 

Therefore, the equation of the tangent at the point (a, 1/a) is: y - 1/a = x^2 (x - a) 

Simplifying, we get: y = a^2 x + (1 - a^3)/a This is the equation of the tangent line. 

For this line to be a normal to the curve xy = 1, it must be perpendicular to the curve at the point (a, 1/a). 

The slope of the curve at this point is: dy/dx = -1/x^2 = -a^2 

Therefore, the slope of the line perpendicular to the curve is: m = 1/a^2 

This means that the product of the slopes of the tangent and the normal at the point (a, 1/a) is: m * (-a^2) = -1 

Solving for a, we get: a = ±1 Substituting a = ±1 in the equation of the tangent line, we get: y = ±x + 1 

These are the equations of the two lines that are normal to the curve at the points (1, 1) and (-1, -1). 

The normal at (1, 1) has a positive slope, and the normal at (-1, -1) has a negative slope. Therefore, the correct option is (B) a > 0, b < 0. 
 

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Concepts Used:

Application of Derivatives

Various Applications of Derivatives-

Rate of Change of Quantities:

If some other quantity ‘y’ causes some change in a quantity of surely ‘x’, in view of the fact that an equation of the form y = f(x) gets consistently pleased, i.e, ‘y’ is a function of ‘x’ then the rate of change of ‘y’ related to ‘x’ is to be given by 

\(\frac{\triangle y}{\triangle x}=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}\)

This is also known to be as the Average Rate of Change.

Increasing and Decreasing Function:

Consider y = f(x) be a differentiable function (whose derivative exists at all points in the domain) in an interval x = (a,b).

  • If for any two points x1 and x2 in the interval x such a manner that x1 < x2, there holds an inequality f(x1) ≤ f(x2); then the function f(x) is known as increasing in this interval.
  • Likewise, if for any two points x1 and x2 in the interval x such a manner that x1 < x2, there holds an inequality f(x1) ≥ f(x2); then the function f(x) is known as decreasing in this interval.
  • The functions are commonly known as strictly increasing or decreasing functions, given the inequalities are strict: f(x1) < f(x2) for strictly increasing and f(x1) > f(x2) for strictly decreasing.

Read More: Application of Derivatives