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The dog-and-rabbit chase problem as an exercise in introductory
kinematics
Z. K. Silagadze
Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics and Novosibirsk
State University, 630 090, Novosibirsk, Russia
r
1
=
V ,
r
2
= u. (1)
2
As the dog always is heading towards the rabbit, we can write
r
2
r
1
= k(t)
V . (2)
The proportionality coecient k depends on time. Namely, at the start and at the end of
the chase we, obviously, have
k(0) =
L
V
, k(T) = 0. (3)
Dierentiating (2) and using (1), we get
u
V =
k(t)
V + k(t)
V. (4)
As the dogs velocity does not change in magnitude, it must be perpendicular to the dogs
acceleration all the time:
V = 0. (5)
Formally this follows from
0 =
dV
2
dt
=
d
V
2
dt
= 2
V.
Equations (4) and (5) imply
V
_
u
V
_
=
k(t)
V ,
or
uV
x
V
2
=
k(t)V
2
. (6)
We can integrate the last equation and get
ux V
2
t = k(t)V
2
LV. (7)
At the time t = T, when the dog catches the rabbit and the chase terminates, we must have
x = uT, and remembering that k(T) = 0 we easily nd T from (7):
T =
LV
V
2
u
2
. (8)
III. DOGS TRAJECTORY IN THE RABBITS FRAME
Let us decompose the dogs velocity into the radial and tangential components in the
rabbits frame (see Fig.2)
V
r
= V + u cos ( ) = V u cos , V
= u sin( ) = u sin.
3
FIG. 2: Components of the dogs velocity in the rabbits frame
But V
r
= r and V
= r . Therefore
r = V u cos , r = u sin . (9)
If we divide the rst equation on the second and take into account that
r
=
dr
d
,
we get
1
r
dr
d
=
V + u cos
u sin
.
Hence
ln
r
L
=
_
/2
V + u cos
u sin
d.
Putting z = cos and using the decomposition
V
u
+ z
1 z
2
=
A
1 z
+
B
1 + z
, A =
1
2
_
1 +
V
u
_
, B =
1
2
_
V
u
1
_
,
we can easily integrate and get
_
/2
V + u cos
u sin
d = ln
(1 + cos )
B
(1 cos )
A
= ln
_
_
cot
2
_V
u 1
sin
_
.
Therefore, the equation of the dogs trajectory in the rabbits frame is
r =
L
sin
_
cot
2
_V
u
. (10)
4
IV. DOGS CURVE OF PURSUIT
Let us now nd the dogs trajectory in the laboratory frame. From (9) and (10), we get
L
sin
_
cot
2
_V
u
= u sin ,
which, by using
sin
2
=
1
2
_
1 +
1
cot
2
2
_
d
_
cot
2
_
,
can be recast in the form
_
1 +
1
cot
2
2
_
_
cot
2
_V
u
d
_
cot
2
_
=
2u
L
dt.
Therefore
t
T
= 1
1
2
_
( 1)
_
cot
2
_
+1
+ ( + 1)
_
cot
2
_
1
_
, (11)
where
=
V
u
,
and T was dened earlier through (8). But by (10)
y = r sin = L
_
cot
2
_
,
and, therefore, (11) reproduces the result of Ref. 6
t
T
= 1
1
2
_
(1 )
_
y
L
_
+1
+ (1 + )
_
y
L
_
1
_
, (12)
where
=
1
=
u
V
.
From (7), we have
x
L
=
3
2
1
_
t
T
+
k(t)
T
_
(13)
and to get the equation of the dogs trajectory, we have to express k(t) through y. Taking
the y-component of the vector equation (2), we get
y = k(t) y,
and therefore
k(t) =
y
y
. (14)
5
It remains to dierentiate (12) to get y, and hence the desired expression for k(t):
k(t)
T
=
1
2
_
2
1
_
_
_
y
L
_
1+
+
_
y
L
_
1
_
. (15)
Substituting (12) and (15) into (13), we nally get the dogs curve of pursuit in the form
x
L
=
1
2
+
1
2
_
1
1 +
_
y
L
_
1+
1
1
_
y
L
_
1
_
. (16)
Of course, this result is the same as found earlier in the literature
4,5,6
, up to applied conven-
tions.
V. THE LIMIT DISTANCE FOR EQUAL VELOCITIES
Let speeds of the dog and the rabbit are equal in magnitude and their initial positions
are as shown in the Fig.3. To what limit converges the distance between them?
FIG. 3: The chase with equal velocities
It is convenient to answer this question in the rabbits frame. For equal velocities V = u,
equations (9) take the form
r = u(1 + cos ), r = u sin.
Therefore
r(1 cos ) + r sin = u(1 cos
2
) + u sin
2
= 0.
6
But
r(1 cos ) + r sin =
d
dt
(r r cos ).
We see that
r(1 cos ) = C,
where C is a constant. At t = 0 we have (see Fig.3)
r
0
=
_
L
2
1
+ L
2
2
, cos
0
=
L
2
_
L
2
1
+ L
2
2
.
Therefore
C = L
2
+
_
L
2
1
+ L
2
2
.
In the rabbits frame , when t . Hence the limit distance between the dog and
the rabbit is
5
r
min
=
C
1 cos
=
L
2
+
_
L
2
1
+ L
2
2
2
.
VI. CHASE ALONG THE TRACTRIX
If the rabbit is allowed to change the magnitude of his speed, he can manage to keep the
distance between him and the dog constant. Let us nd the required functional dependence
u(t) and the dogs trajectory in this case. If r = L = const, so that r = 0, equations (9)
take the form
V = u cos , L = u sin. (17)
Therefore
L
V
= tan,
which can be easily integrated to get
ln
_
sin
sin
0
_
=
V
L
t,
or
sin = sin
0
e
V
L
t
.
Then the rst equation of (17) determines the required form of the rabbits velocity
u(t) =
V
_
1 sin
2
0
e
2V
L
t
(18)
7
(note that we are assuming
0
> /2, as in Fig.3, so that cos =
_
1 sin
2
).
Now let us nd the dogs trajectory. We have (see Fig.3)
x =
t
_
0
u() d Lcos ( ) =
t
_
0
u()d + Lcos , y = Lsin ( ) = Lsin .
But
t
_
0
u() d = L
0
d
sin
= L
0
d cos
1 cos
2
, (19)
because
u(t) dt =
L
sin
d,
according to the second equation of (17).
By using the decomposition
1
1 cos
2
=
1
2
_
1
1 + cos
+
1
1 cos
_
,
the integral in (19) is easily evaluated with the result
t
_
0
u() d = L
_
ln
_
cot
0
2
_
ln
_
cot
2
__
.
Therefore the parametric form of the dogs trajectory is
x
L
= cos + ln
_
cot
0
2
_
ln
_
cot
2
_
,
y
L
= sin .
To get the explicit form of the trajectory, we use
cos =
_
1
y
2
L
2
, cot
2
=
1 + cos
sin
=
L
_
L
2
y
2
y
,
which gives
x = Lln
_
cot
0
2
_
Lln
L
_
L
2
y
2
y
_
L
2
y
2
. (20)
This trajectory is a part of tractrix the famous curve
7,8
with the dening property that the
length of its tangent, between its directrix (the x-axis in our case) and the point of tangency,
has the same value L for all points of the tractrix.
8
VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS
I think the problem considered is of pedagogical value for undergraduate students, which
take their rst year course in physics. It demonstrates the use of some important concepts
of physical kinematics, as already stressed by Mungan in Ref. 6. The approach presented
in this article requires only minimal mathematical background. However, if desired, this
classic chase problem allows a demonstration of more elaborate mathematical concepts like
Frenet-Serret formulas
9
, Mercator projection in cartography
10
, and even hyperbolic geometry
(which is realized on the surface of revolution of a tractrix about its directrix)
11
.
Acknowledgments
The work is supported in part by grants Sci.School-905.2006.2 and RFBR 06-02-16192-a.