calc problem involving derivatives

[Guest]

This is a problem i have for my math class. It has to do with steel flowing through a pipe in a manufacturing plant. the equation for the shape of the pipe is given as

(in my equation i will be using T in place of theta for the equation)

X(T)= (3/(16*pi^5)*T^5 - 15/(16*pi^4)*T^4 + 5/(4* pi^3)*T^3)* cos(T)
Y(T)= (3/(16*pi^5)*T^5 - 15/(16*pi^4)*T^4 + 5/(4* pi^3)*T^3)* sin(T)
Z(T)= 1- (T/(2*pi)-1)^4

the equations are defined on the range T= [0, 2pi]

I need to use calculus to find the velocity and the acceleration of the rod travelign through the pipe.

I believe this is done somehow by taking the derivative of the equations but am unsure of the reasoning behind this.

any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[arthur ohlsten]

I am afraid I don't understand
x(T) is a numeric, not a function of time.

The variables are the pipe size. Do you know the quantity of steel moving thru the pipe with time, or any other data besides the pipe size?
I don't see how you can determine the velocity of the rod without some other parameter.
Arthur