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02 Curve Sketching (Old)

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10 views12 pages

02 Curve Sketching (Old)

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Elijah Lawal
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GEG 117: Engineering Calculus 1

CURVE SKETCHING
By

Dr Eganoosi Esme ATOJUNERE

Department of Systems Engineering


University of Lagos
Nigeria
CURVE SKETCHING USING DIFFERENTIATION
• The following steps are helpful when sketching a curve, however, each step may not
always apply to all functions
I. Find the domain of the function
II. Determine the intercepts
III. Look for asymptotes-these are lines for which the function is undefined(this
means that the curve does not cross asymptotes). Remember that you cannot
divide by zero. Asymptotes could be horizontal,vertical and slant
IV. Work out where the graph crosses the axes(x,y)
V. Interval of increase and decrease-What happens when x becomes very large and
very small. 𝑓 ′ 𝑥 > 0 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝐼, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝐼
𝑓 ′ 𝑥 < 0 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝐼, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝐼
vi. Local maximum/ minimum: find the critical numbers of the functions-You may then
think about where the maxima and minima occur(by differentiating)
vii. Test if the graph is symmetrical about x or y-axes?
viii. Do the sketching with the information obtained from above
EXAMPLE 1
𝑥 2 −3𝑥+9
Sketch the graph of 𝑓 𝑥 =
𝑥−3

Solution: 𝑓 𝑥 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠


𝑥 2 −3𝑥 9
= +
𝑥−3 𝑥−3

𝑥(𝑥−3) 9
= +
𝑥−3 𝑥−3
9
= 𝑥+ so we actually want to sketch
𝑥−3 9
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥+
𝑥−3
Domain:The domain of this function
9
is
all real 𝑥 except 3 because would
𝑥−3
become unreal.
This brings us to Asymptotes. They
are two asymptotes
1): 𝑦 = 𝑥 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑥 → ∞ 𝑓 𝑥 →
𝑥
2): 𝑥= 3 is a vertical asymptote
because as 𝑓 𝑥 → ∞ 𝑓 𝑥 → 3
Next, the turning points(maxima and minimal)
9
Let → 𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑦 = 𝑥 + , we make 𝑥 the
𝑥−3
subject of the equation.
𝟐
= 𝑦𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 𝒙 - 3𝒙+9
2
= 𝑥 -(3+𝑦)𝑥 + 9 + 3𝑦 = 0
𝟐
Since all the values of 𝑥 are real, 𝒃 - 4ac ≥ 𝟎
𝟐 2
= (3+y) - 4(9+ 3y) ≥ 𝟎 = 𝑦 -6𝑦 − 27 ≥ 𝟎
= (𝑦 − 9)(𝑦 + 3) ≥ 𝟎

so, 𝒚 ≤ −𝟑 ∪ 𝒚 ≥ 𝟗
𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐟 𝐱 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐱
𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬
𝟎, −𝟑 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟔, 𝟗 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦
To find the intercepts:
𝐲 − 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐱 = 𝟎 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝟎, −𝟑
𝐱 − 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲 = 𝟎 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 0
′′ ′′
𝐟 (x) > 𝟎 𝐨𝐧 −∞, 𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟 (x) < 𝟎 𝐨𝐧 (𝟎, ∞)
𝐟 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐧 −∞, 𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐧(𝟎, ∞)

Exercise 1: Sketch the curve?


EXAMPLE 2
𝟒
Sketch the graph of 𝒚 = + 𝒙 + 𝟏 𝒐𝒏 − ∞ < 𝒙 < ∞ and label all critical points and
𝒙
inflection points with coordinates on the graph along with the letter ‘’C’’ of ‘’I’’
Solution
Note that 𝑓 𝑥 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑥 = 0
At 𝑥 → ∞+ 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 1 → ∞
At 𝑥 → ∞− 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 1 → −∞
′ ′ 4
At slope 𝑓 =𝑦 = - +1
𝑥2
𝑦 ′ =0 = 𝑥 = ±2 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠
′′ ′′ 8
𝑓 =𝑦 = (points of inflections)
𝑥3
𝑓 ′′ (2) = 1 > 0
𝑓 ′′ (-2) = −1 < 0
Write down on which intervals the functions is increasing 𝑦 ′ > 0
−∞ < 𝑥 ≤ 2
-2≤𝑥 ≤2
Decreasing 𝑦 ′ < 0
2≤ 𝑥 ≤0
ቅ NOT -2 < 𝑥 < 2 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑥 = 0
0 <𝑥 ≤2
To determine the shape of the curve
Concave up: the graph is called concave up on the interval I,if the graph of the function
lies above all of the tangent lines on I
• 𝑦 ′′ > 0 ; 0< 𝑥 < ∞
Concave down the graph is called concave up on the interval I,if the graph of the
function lies below all of the tangent lines on I

• 𝑦 ′′ < 0 ;−∞ < 𝑥 < 0


Exercise 2: Sketch the curve?
Exercises
I. How do you sketch the function 𝑓 𝑥, 𝑦 = 10 − 4𝑥 − 4𝑦
3 2
II. How do you sketch the function 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 − 3𝑥
III. How do you sketch the function 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 4 − 𝑥2
IV. How do you sketch the function 𝑓 𝑥 = arctan(𝑥)

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