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Tutorial 5

calculus

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7 views3 pages

Tutorial 5

calculus

Uploaded by

lilithaprecious8
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics

MAM1021S
Tutorial 5 August 2024
Taylor polynomials and Taylor series

In the first two questions, you have to keep in mind that the coefficients in the Taylor poly-
nomial of a function f about x = a are determined by the value of f and its derivatives at
x = a.

1. The function f (x) is plotted below. The dotted grid is a square. Each side is 1 unit
long.

(a) Could 3 − (x − 3)2 be the Taylor polynomial of f (x) at a = 3? Explain your


answer.
(b) Could 0 − 10(x − 4) + (x − 4)2 be the Taylor polynomial of f (x) at a = 4? Explain
your answer.
(c) Use the graph to estimate the Taylor polynomial for f (x) of degree 1 at a = 6.

2. The Bessel function J0 (x) is plotted below. Some background information: Bessel
functions solve a particular differential equation and describe the behaviour of systems
with radial symmetry. The function below is the first mode of vibration of a thin
circular membrane, e.g., the head of a drum.

1
(a) Is the Bessel function J0 (x) even or odd? What does this mean for the Maclaurin
polynomial approximating J0 (x)?
(b) What is the first non-zero term in the Maclaurin polynomial for J0 (x)?
(c) Is the second non-zero term in the Maclaurin polynomial for J0 (x) positive or
negative? Explain your answer. (Think about what this term means).

3. Use differentiation to find Maclaurin polynomials of degree 4 for each of the following
functions:
(a) 3x2 + ln cos x
sin x
(b)
1 + cos x
(c) e−x sin x
4. Find the Taylor polynomial of degree 4 for each of the following functions at the
indicated point:
1
(a) f (x) = sin(πx), a = 2
(b) g(x) = ln x, a = e
(c) h(x) = x2 e−x , a = 1
5. Engineers are interested in the integrals of the functions f (x) = sin(x2 ) and g(x) =
cos(x2 ). These are called Fresnel integrals and have applications in optics and cur-
vature transitions in highways and trainlines.
(a) Find a Maclaurin polynomial for f (x) with two non-zero terms.
(b) Do the same for g(x).
Rx
(c) Find an approximation for the Fresnel integral S(x) = 0
sin(t2 ) dt.
Rx
(d) Do the same for C(x) = 0 cos(t2 ) dt.
6. We want to use a Maclaurin polynomial for sin x to estimate sin(2) correct to five
decimal places.
(a) Write out the Maclaurin series for sin x.
(b) Use your calculator and take, say, two terms on your series to find an approximate
value for sin(2) (or do it with your calculator!).
(c) Then take three terms and see how much your answer changes.
(d) Then take four, five,... terms until you see that the decimal places you are inter-
ested in are not changing.
This is just a rule of thumb for checking when your approximation is as close as you
need it to be to the right answer, but there are more rigorous methods (which you can
read up on in your textbook if you are interested).

2
7. Evaluate the following limits using Maclaurin series.
x + 1 − ex
(a) lim
x→0 x2
x − sin x
(b) lim
x→0 x3
cos x − ex
(c) lim
x→0 sin 2x
x − arctan x
(d) lim (If you don’t know the Maclaurin series for arctan x, then skip
x→0 x3
this for now and do it after you’ve done the last question in the tutorial.)
2
e2x − 1
(e) lim
x→0 x2
8. (a) Differentiate the Maclaurin series for ex . Is the answer what you expected?
(b) Do the same for the Maclaurin series for sin x.
Differentiating an infinite series is (somewhat) in order as long as we stay within the
interval of convergence.

9. (a) What is the Maclaurin series of the function


1
f (x) = ?
1−x

(b) What is the Maclaurin series of the function


1
g(t) = ?
1 + t2
(Make the substitution x = −t2 .)
(c) Now derive the Maclurin series for arctan x using this relationship and your series
1
for .
1 + x2

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