Scribd
Upload
63 views18 pages

Calculus For You

The document discusses tangent lines and derivatives. It provides examples of finding the equation of the tangent line to various functions at given points by calculating the derivative. It also discusses when a derivative exists based on properties of the graph like continuity and smoothness. Examples are given of estimating derivatives from graphs and sketching the derivative function from the original function graph.

Uploaded by

Roma Khaves
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
63 views18 pages

Calculus For You

The document discusses tangent lines and derivatives. It provides examples of finding the equation of the tangent line to various functions at given points by calculating the derivative. It also discusses when a derivative exists based on properties of the graph like continuity and smoothness. Examples are given of estimating derivatives from graphs and sketching the derivative function from the original function graph.

Uploaded by

Roma Khaves
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 18

T HE G RAPH OF THE D ERIVATIVE

Section 3.4 / 3.5

January 21, 2013

TANGENT L INES
Suppose we have the graph of a function f (x).
y = f (x)

Tangent line at x = a (a, f (a))

Y Axis

b (b, f (b)) NOT a tangent line at x = b

The tangent line of the graph of f at a is the line that: (1) touches the graph of f at the point (a, f (a)) and intersects it at no other point near a, (2) gives the direction of the curve.

X Axis

TANGENT L INES
Intuitively: Think of driving a car on the graph. The line that your head lights and tail lights make is the tangent line to the graph at that point.

y = f (x)

T HE E QUATION OF THE TANGENT L INE


First, we need to determine is the slope of the tangent line. Let f be a function whose graph is given below, and suppose we want to determine the slope of the tangent line of the graph of f at x = a.

(a, f (a))

(a+h, f (a+h))

a a+h

Consider the secant lines from (a, f (a)) to (a + h, f (a + h))

T HE E QUATION OF THE TANGENT L INE


We see that the slope of the secant lines approaches the slope of the tangent line as h 0. So...

Slope of the Tangent Line


Slope of the tangent line of f at x = a = lim
h0

f ( a + h) f ( a) = f 0 (a) h

Now that we know the slope of the tangent line, we can use the point-slope form of a line to determine its equation:

Equation of the Tangent Line


The equation of the line tangent to the graph of f at x = a is Provided f 0 (a) exists. y = f 0 (a)(x a) + f (a)

E XAMPLES
Determine the equation of the tangent line to the graph of the following functions at the points given. (a) f (x) = x2 + 2x at x = 3 (b) g(t) = 5/t at t = 2 (c) h(x) = 4 x at x = 9

(a) First we determine f 0 (3). f 0 (3) = lim = lim (3 + h)2 + 2(3 + h) (32 + 2(3)) h h0

9 + 6h + h2 + 6 + 2h 9 6 = lim(8 + h) = 8 h h0 h0 y = 8(x 3) + 15 = 8x 9

Since f 0 (3) = 8 and f (3) = 15, the equation of the tangent line is:

E XAMPLES
Determine the equation of the tangent line to the graph of the following functions at the points given. (a) f (x) = x2 + 2x (b) g(t) = 5/t (c) h(x) = 4 x at x = 3 at t = 2 at x = 9 (b) First we determine g0 (2). g (2) = lim = lim
0 5 2+h h0

5 2

= lim

105(2+h) 2(2+h)

5h 5 5 = lim = 4 h0 2h(2 + h) h0 2(2 + h)

h 0

Since g0 (2) = 5/4 and g(2) = 5/2, the equation of the tangent line is: 5 5 5 y = ( x 2) + = x + 5 4 2 4

E XAMPLES
Determine the equation of the tangent line to the graph of the following functions at the points given. (a) f (x) = x2 + 2x (b) g(t) = 5/t (c) h(x) = 4 x at x = 3 at t = 2 at x = 9 (c) First we determine h0 (9). 4 9+h4 9 0 h (9) = lim h h0 (4 9 + h 12) = lim h h0 = lim So, 4 9 + h 12 = lim h h0 (4 9 + h + 12) (4 9 + h + 12)

16(9 + h) 144 16 16 2 = lim = = 24 3 h0 h(4 9 + h + 12) h0 4 9 + h + 12 y = 2 2 (x 9) + 12 = x + 6. 3 3

E XISTENCE OF THE D ERIVATIVE


As mentioned last class, it is easier to determine if the derivative of a function at a point exists by looking at its graph.

Existence of the Derivative


The derivative of a function f at a point x = a exists if all of the following are satised: (1) f is continuous at x = a. (2) f is smooth at x = a (the graph has no sharp corners) (3) f does NOT have a vertical tangent line at x = a. If ANY ONE of these conditions is not satised, then the derivative of f at x = a does not exist.

E XAMPLES

Y Axis

e
X Axis

(x = a) Derivative does NOT exist (not continuous) (x = b) Derivative does NOT exist (not continuous) (x = c) Derivative does NOT exist (vertical tangent) (x = d) Derivative does NOT exist (not continuous) (x = e) Derivative exists! (x = f ) Derivative does NOT exist (not smooth)

E XAMPLES
Graph each of the following functions. Determine whether the derivative of the function at x = 0 exists, if it does not, explain which condition fails. (a) f (x) = x2/3 (b) g(t) = t1/3 (c) h(x) = x2/3

Does NOT exist Vertical tangent at x = 0

Does NOT exist Not smooth at x = 0

Does NOT exist Not continuous at x = 0

E STIMATING THE D ERIVATIVE FROM THE G RAPH


In the real world you often nd yourself with a graph of a function, but not the equation describing it. Below is the graph of the distance traveled from Omaha (miles) travelled in the 1.5 hours of a road trip to Minnesota.
90 80 70 60
Y Axis

50 40 30 20 10 0.5 1 1.5
X Axis

2.5

Estimate the speed of the car 0.5 hours into the trip. ( 40 mph)

E STIMATING THE D ERIVATIVE FROM THE G RAPH


In the real world you often nd yourself with a graph of a function, but not the equation describing it. Below is the graph of the distance traveled from Omaha (miles) travelled in the 1.5 hours of a road trip to Minnesota.
90 80 70 60
Y Axis

50 40 30 20 10 0.5 1 1.5
X Axis

2.5

Estimate the speed of the car 1 hour into the trip. (0 mph)

E XAMPLES
Below is the graph of the function g(x).
8 6 4 2

-4

-3

-2

-1
-2 -4

10

Use this graph to approximate the following:


-6

(a) g0 (1) = -82

(b) g0 (4) = 0.5

(c) g0 (7) = 4.5

S KETCHING THE D ERIVATIVE


Lets take what we just did one step further and sketch the graph of a derivative from the graph of the original function.
5 4 3 2 1 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 -1 -2 -3 1 2 3 4

Below is the graph of a function f (x). Sketch the graph of f 0 (x).

S KETCHING THE D ERIVATIVE


Below is the graph of a function f (x). Sketch the graph of f 0 (x).

S KETCHING THE D ERIVATIVE


Below is the graph of a function g(t). Sketch the graph of g0 (t).

S KETCHING THE D ERIVATIVE


Below is the graph of a function h(x). Sketch the graph of h0 (x).

You might also like