Final answer:
To find the Cartesian equation of the curve given by the parametric equations x = 1 - t^2 and y = t - 5, solve for t in terms of y and substitute back to get x = -y^2 - 10y - 24.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's problem involves parametric equations that define a curve where x and y are both expressed as functions of a parameter t. This question requires finding a Cartesian equation for the curve by eliminating the parameter.
To eliminate the parameter t, we can first express t in terms of y from the second equation: y = t - 5, which rearranges to t = y + 5. Substituting this into the first equation x = 1 - t^2, we get:
x = 1 - (y + 5)^2
Now we have a quadratic equation in terms of y:
x(t) = 1 - (y + 5)^2 = 1 - (y^2 + 10y + 25)
x(t) = -y^2 - 10y - 24
Therefore, the Cartesian equation is x = -y^2 - 10y - 24 suitable for the given range for y, which is -7 ≤ y ≤ -3.