STATIONARY POINT

1 The equation of a curve is y = x + cos 2x. Find the x-coordinates of the stationary points of the curve
for which 0 ≤ x ≤ π , and determine the nature of each of these stationary points. [7]

© UCLES 2005 9709/03/O/N/05

2 The curve with equation y = 6ex − e3x has one stationary point.

(i) Find the x-coordinate of this point. [4]

(ii) Determine whether this point is a maximum or a minimum point. [2]

© UCLES 2006 9709/03/O/N/06

3 The curve with equation y = e−x sin x has one stationary point for which 0 ≤ x ≤ π .

(i) Find the x-coordinate of this point. [4]

(ii) Determine whether this point is a maximum or a minimum point. [2]

© UCLES 2007 9709/03/O/N/07

ex
4 The curve y = , for − 12 π < x < 12 π , has one stationary point. Find the x-coordinate of this point.
cos x
[5]

© UCLES 2008 9709/03/O/N/08

ln x
5 The curve y = has one stationary point. Find the x-coordinate of this point. [4]
x3
© UCLES 2011 9709/33/M/J/11

6 The equation of a curve is y = 3 sin x + 4 cos3 x.

(i) Find the x-coordinates of the stationary points of the curve in the interval 0 < x < π . [6]

(ii) Determine the nature of the stationary point in this interval for which x is least. [2]

© UCLES 2012 9709/32/M/J/12

 e2x
7 The curve with equation y = has one stationary point.
x3
(i) Find the x-coordinate of this point. [4]

(ii) Determine whether this point is a maximum or a minimum point. [2]

© UCLES 2012 9709/33/M/J/12

8 The equation of a curve is

y = 3 cos 2x + 7 sin x + 2.
Find the x-coordinates of the stationary points in the interval 0 ≤ x ≤ 0. Give each answer correct to
3 significant figures. [7]

© UCLES 2015 9709/31/M/J/15

9 A curve has equation y = cos x cos 2x. Find the x-coordinate of the stationary point on the curve in
the interval 0 < x < 12 0, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures. [6]

© UCLES 2015 9709/32/M/J/15

10 The curve with equation y =

e2x
4 + e3x
has one stationary point. Find the exact values of the coordinates
of this point. [6]

© UCLES 2015 9709/33/M/J/15

11 The curve with equation y = sin x cos 2x has one stationary point in the interval 0 < x < 12 0. Find the
x-coordinate of this point, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures. [6]

© UCLES 2016 9709/31/M/J/16

12 The curve with equation y= ln x
2

has two stationary points. Find the exact values of the coordinates
x
of these points. [6]

© UCLES 2016 9709/32/M/J/16

 2 − sin x
13 The curve with equation y = has one stationary point in the interval − 12 0 < x < 12 0.
cos x

(i) Find the exact coordinates of this point. [5]

© UCLES 2017 9709/32/O/N/17

e 3x
14 A curve has equation y = . Find the x-coordinates of the stationary points of the curve in the
tan 12 x
interval 0 < x < 0. Give your answers correct to 3 decimal places. [6]

© UCLES 2018 9709/31/M/J/18

15 The curve y = sin x + 13 0 cos x has two stationary points in the interval 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.
 

dy
(i) Find . [2]
dx

 the formula for cos A + B
, show that, at the stationary points on the curve,
(ii) By considering
cos 2x + 13 0 = 0. [2]

(iii) Hence find the exact x-coordinates of the stationary points. [3]

© UCLES 2019 9709/33/M/J/19

e−2x
16 The curve with equation y = has a stationary point in the interval −1 < x < 1. Find
dy
1−x 2
and
dx
hence find the x-coordinate of this stationary point, giving the answer correct to 3 decimal places.
[5]

© UCLES 2019 9709/32/O/N/19

PARAMETRIC EQUATIONS
1 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = 2θ + sin 2θ, y = 1 − cos 2θ .

dy
Show that = tan θ . [5]
dx
9709/03/M/J/06

2 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = a(2θ − sin 2θ ), y = a(1 − cos 2θ ).

dy
Show that = cot θ . [5]
dx

9709/03/O/N/08

3 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = a cos3 t, y = a sin3 t,

where a is a positive constant and 0 < t < 12 π .

dy
(i) Express in terms of t. [3]
dx

(ii) Show that the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point with parameter t is

x sin t + y cos t = a sin t cos t. [3]

(iii) Hence show that, if this tangent meets the x-axis at X and the y-axis at Y , then the length of XY
is always equal to a. [2]
9709/03/M/J/09

4 The parametric equations of a curve are

t
x= , y = e−2t .
2t + 3
Find the gradient of the curve at the point for which t = 0. [5]
9709/33/O/N/10

5 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = ln(tan t), y = sin2 t,

where 0 < t < 12 π .

dy
(i) Express in terms of t. [4]
dx
(ii) Find the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point where x = 0. [3]
9709/32/M/J/11
6 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = 3(1 + sin t), y = 2 cos3 t.

2

dy
Find in terms of t, simplifying your answer as far as possible. [5]
dx
9709/31/O/N/11

7 y

x
O

The diagram shows the curve with parametric equations

x = sin t + cos t, y = sin3 t + cos3 t,

for 14 π < t < 54 π .

dy
(i) Show that = −3 sin t cos t. [3]
dx
(ii) Find the gradient of the curve at the origin. [2]

(iii) Find the values of t for which the gradient of the curve is 1, giving your answers correct to
2 significant figures. [4]
9709/33/O/N/11

8 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = sin 2θ − θ , y = cos 2θ + 2 sin θ .
dy 2 cos θ
Show that = . [5]
dx 1 + 2 sin θ
9709/33/M/J/12
9 The parametric equations of a curve are
4t
x= , y = 2 ln(2t + 3).
2t + 3

dy
(i) Express in terms of t, simplifying your answer. [4]
dx

(ii) Find the gradient of the curve at the point for which x = 1. [2]
9709/33/O/N/12

10 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = e−t cos t, y = e−t sin t.

= tan t − 14 0 .
dy  
Show that [6]
dx
9709/31/O/N/13

11 The parametric equations of a curve are

3t + 2
x = ln 2t + 3
, y=
2t + 3
.

Find the gradient of the curve at the point where it crosses the y-axis. [6]
9709/31/M/J/14

12 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = t − tan t, y = ln cos t
,

for − 12 0 < t < 12 0.

= cot t.
dy
(i) Show that [5]
dx

(ii) Hence find the x-coordinate of the point on the curve at which the gradient is equal to 2. Give
your answer correct to 3 significant figures. [2]

9709/32/M/J/14

13 The parametric equations of a curve are

x= y = tan3 t,
1
,
cos3 t
where 0 ≤ t < 12 0.

= sin t.
dy
(i) Show that [4]
dx

(ii) Hence show that the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point with parameter t is
y = x sin t − tan t. [3]
9709/31/O/N/14
14 A curve is defined for 0 < 1 < 12 0 by the parametric equations

x = tan 1, y = 2 cos2 1 sin 1.

= 6 cos5 1 − 4 cos3 1.
dy
Show that [5]
dx
9709/33/O/N/14

15 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = a cos4 t, y = a sin4 t,
where a is a positive constant.

dy
(i) Express in terms of t. [3]
dx

(ii) Show that the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point with parameter t is

x sin2 t + y cos2 t = a sin2 t cos2 t. 3

(iii) Hence show that if the tangent meets the x-axis at P and the y-axis at Q, then
OP + OQ = a,
where O is the origin. [2]

9709/33/M/J/15

16 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = t + cos t, y = ln 1 + sin t
,
where − 12 0 < t < 12 0.

= sec t.
dy
(i) Show that [5]
dx

(ii) Hence find the x-coordinates of the points on the curve at which the gradient is equal to 3. Give
your answers correct to 3 significant figures. [3]
9709/33/M/J/16
17 The parametric equations of a curve are
x = ln cos 1, y = 31 − tan 1,
where 0 ≤ 1 < 12 0.

in terms of tan 1.
dy
(i) Express [5]
dx
(ii) Find the exact y-coordinate of the point on the curve at which the gradient of the normal is equal
to 1. [3]
9709/31/M/J/17
18 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = t 2 + 1, y = 4t + ln 2t − 1
.

dy
(i) Express in terms of t. [3]
dx

(ii) Find the equation of the normal to the curve at the point where t = 1. Give your answer in the
form ax + by + c = 0. [3]
9709/32/M/J/17

19 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = 2 sin 1 + sin 21, y = 2 cos 1 + cos 21,
where 0 < 1 < 0.

in terms of 1.
dy
(i) Obtain an expression for [3]
dx
(ii) Hence find the exact coordinates of the point on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the
y-axis. [4]

9709/31/O/N/18

20 The parametric equations of a curve are

x = 2t + sin 2t, y = ln 1 − cos 2t
.

= cosec 2t.
dy
Show that [5]
dx
9709/31/O/N/19
 IMPLICIT
1 Find the gradient of the curve with equation

2x2 − 4xy + 3y2 = 3,

at the point (2, 1). [4]

9709/03/M/J/04

2 The equation of a curve is x3 + 2y3 = 3xy.

dy y − x2
(i) Show that = 2 . [4]
dx 2y − x

(ii) Find the coordinates of the point, other than the origin, where the curve has a tangent which is
parallel to the x-axis. [5]

© UCLES 2006 9709/03/O/N/06

3 The equation of a curve is xy(x + y) = 2a3 , where a is a non-zero constant. Show that there is only
one point on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the x-axis, and find the coordinates of this
point. [8]

© UCLES 2008 9709/03/M/J/08

4 The equation of a curve is x3 − x2 y − y3 = 3.

dy
(i) Find in terms of x and y. [4]
dx

(ii) Find the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point (2, 1), giving your answer in the form
ax + by + c = 0. [2]
© UCLES 2009 9709/32/O/N/09

5 The equation of a curve is

x ln y = 2x + 1.

dy y
(i) Show that = − .2 [4]
dx x
(ii) Find the equation of the tangent to the curve at the point where y = 1, giving your answer in the
form ax + by + c = 0. [4]
© UCLES 2010 9709/32/M/J/10
6 The equation of a curve is 3x2 − 4xy + y2 = 45.

(i) Find the gradient of the curve at the point (2, −3). [4]

(ii) Show that there are no points on the curve at which the gradient is 1. [3]

© UCLES 2012 9709/31/M/J/12

7 The equation of a curve is ln(xy) − y3 = 1.

dy y
(i) Show that = . [4]
dx x(3y3 − 1)

(ii) Find the coordinates of the point where the tangent to the curve is parallel to the y-axis, giving
each coordinate correct to 3 significant figures. [4]

© UCLES 2012 9709/31/O/N/12

8 For each of the following curves, find the gradient at the point where the curve crosses the y-axis:

1 + x2
(i) y =
1 + e2x
; [3]

(ii) 2x3 + 5xy + y3 = 8. [4]

© UCLES 2013 9709/31/M/J/13

9
y

x
–a 3a

The diagram shows the curve with equation

x3 + xy2 + ay2 − 3ax2 = 0,
where a is a positive constant. The maximum point on the curve is M . Find the x-coordinate of M in
terms of a. [6]

© UCLES 2013 9709/32/M/J/13

10 A curve has equation 3e2x y + ex y3 = 14. Find the gradient of the curve at the point 0, 2
. [5]

© UCLES 2013 9709/33/O/N/13

11
y
M

x
O

The diagram shows the curve x2 + y2 = 2 x2 − y2 and one of its maximum points M . Find the
 2  
coordinates of M . [7]
© UCLES 2014 9709/33/M/J/14

12 The equation of a curve is x3 − 3x2 y + y3 = 3.

dy x2 − 2xy
= 2
x − y2
(i) Show that . [4]
dx

(ii) Find the coordinates of the points on the curve where the tangent is parallel to the x-axis. [5]

© UCLES 2016 9709/31/M/J/16

13 The equation of a curve is xy x − 6y
= 9a3

, where a is a non-zero constant. Show that there is only
one point on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the x-axis, and find the coordinates of this
point. [7]
© UCLES 2016 9709/31/O/N/16

14 The equation of a curve is 2x4 + xy3 + y4 = 10.

8x3 + y3
=−
dy
3xy2 + 4y3
(i) Show that . [4]
dx

(ii) Hence show that there are two points on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the x-axis
and find the coordinates of these points. [4]

© UCLES 2017 9709/31/O/N/17

15 The equation of a curve is x3 y − 3xy3 = 2a4 , where a is a non-zero constant.

dy 3x2 y − 3y3
=
9xy2 − x3
(i) Show that . [4]
dx

(ii) Hence show that there are only two points on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the
x-axis and find the coordinates of these points. [4]

© UCLES 2017 9709/32/O/N/17

16 The equation of a curve is x2 x + 3y
− y3 = 3.

dy x2 + 2xy
= 2
y − x2
(i) Show that . [4]
dx

(ii) Hence find the exact coordinates of the two points on the curve at which the gradient of the
normal is 1. [4]
© UCLES 2018 9709/32/M/J/18

17 The equation of a curve is 2x − y − 3xy = 2a , where a is a non-zero constant.

3 3 2 3

dy 2x2 − y2
=
dx y2 + 2xy
(i) Show that . [4]

(ii) Find the coordinates of the two points on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the y-axis.
[5]
© UCLES 2018 9709/33/M/J/18

18 Find the gradient of the curve x3 + 3xy2 − y3 = 1 at the point with coordinates 1, 3
. [4]

© UCLES 2019 9709/31/M/J/19

19 The equation of a curve is 2x2 y − xy2 = a3 , where a is a positive constant. Show that there is only one
point on the curve at which the tangent is parallel to the x-axis and find the y-coordinate of this point.
[7]
© UCLES 2019 9709/32/O/N/19