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The point of contact \( y^{2}=4 a x \) and the tangent \( y=m x+c \) is

Ask by Moreno Wood. in India
Jan 08,2025

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The point of contact is \( \left( \dfrac{a}{m^{2}},\; \dfrac{2a}{m} \right) \).

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The Deep Dive

To find the point of contact where the parabola \( y^2 = 4ax \) and the tangent line \( y = mx + c \) intersect, we need to plug the equation of the tangent into the equation of the parabola. This gives us \( (mx+c)^2 = 4ax \). Expanding and rearranging leads to a quadratic in \( x \). The point of contact occurs where the discriminant of this quadratic is zero, which means it touches the parabola at exactly one point. The coordinates of this point will involve solving for \( x \) given \( m \), \( c \), and \( a \). To ensure that \( y = mx + c \) is indeed tangent to the curve, remember that the slope \( m \) must correspond to the derivative \( \frac{dy}{dx} \) of the parabola at that point. The derivative \( \frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{2y}{4a} = \frac{y}{2a} \) indicates that \( m = \frac{y}{2a} \). Using this relationship helps confirm the setup of the problem and leads you towards an efficient resolution!

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