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Sketching Graphs of Functions

The document outlines 11 steps for sketching graphs of functions including determining the domain and intercepts, checking for symmetry and asymptotes, computing derivatives, finding critical numbers, and analyzing monotonicity, concavity, and points of inflection to sketch the graph.

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Nina Rkive
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
43 views

Sketching Graphs of Functions

The document outlines 11 steps for sketching graphs of functions including determining the domain and intercepts, checking for symmetry and asymptotes, computing derivatives, finding critical numbers, and analyzing monotonicity, concavity, and points of inflection to sketch the graph.

Uploaded by

Nina Rkive
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SKETCHING GRAPHS OF

FUNCTIONS
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
1. Determine the domain of f.
2. Find any x and y intercepts. When finding the x intercepts you
may need to approximate the roots of the equation f(x) = 0.
3. Test for symmetry wrt the y axis and origin.
4. Check for any horizontal, vertical, or oblique asymptotes.
5. Compute f’(x) and f”(x).
6. Determine the critical numbers of f. these are the values of x in
the domain of f for which either f’(x) does not exist or f’(x) = 0.
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
7. Apply either the first-derivative test or the second-derivative
test to determine whether at a critical number there is a relative
maximum value, a relative minimum value, or neither.
8. Determine the intervals on which f is increasing by finding the
values of x for which f’(x) is positive; determine the intervals on
which f is decreasing by finding the values of x for which f’(x) is
negative. In locating the intervals on which f is monotonic, also
check the critical numbers t which f does not have a relative
extremum.
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
9. Find the critical numbers of f’, that is, the values of x for which
f”(x) does not exist or f”(x) = 0, to obtain possible points of
inflection. At each of these values of x check to see if f”(x) changes
sign and if the graph has a tangent line there to determine if there
actually is a point of inflection.
10. Check for concavity of the graph. Find the values of x for which
f”(x) is positive to obtain points at which the graph is concave
upward; to obtain points at which the graph is concave downward
find the values of x for which f”(x) is negative.
11. Find the slope of each inflectional tangent if that is helpful.
Definition
A function f defined on an interval is increasing on that
interval iff f(x1) < f(x2) whenever x1 < x2 where x1 and x2
are any numbers in the interval.

A function f defined on an interval is decreasing on that


interval iff f(x1) > f(x2) whenever x1 < x2 where x1 and x2
are any numbers in the interval.
Theorem
Let the function f be continuous on the closed interval [a, b]
and differentiable on the open interval (a, b):

(i) if f’(x) > 0 for all x in (a, b), then f is increasing


on [a, b];

(ii) if f’(x) < 0 for all x in (a, b), then f is increasing


on [a, b].
Theorem: The First-Derivative Test for
Relative Extrema
Let the function f be continuous at all points of the open interval (a, b)
containing the number c, and suppose that f’ exists at all points of (a, b)
except possibly at c:
(i) if f’(x) > 0 for all values of x in some open interval having c as its
right endpoint, and if f’(x) < 0 for all values of x in some open interval
having c as its left endpoint, then f has a relative maximum value at c;
(ii) if f’(x) < 0 for all values of x in some open interval having c as its
right endpoint, and if f’(x) > 0 for all values of x in some open interval
having c as its left endpoint, then f has a relative minimum value at c.
Example 1
Plot the graph of the function defined by f(x) = x3 – 6x2 + 9x + 1.
Determine the relative extrema of, the values of x at which the relative
extrema occur, the intervals on which f is increasing, and the intervals
on which f is decreasing.
f(x) f’(x) Conclusion
x<1 + f is increasing
x=1 5 0 f has a relative maximum value
1<x<3 – f is decreasing
x=3 1 0 f has a relative minimum value
3<x + f is increasing
Definition
The graph of a function f is said to be concave upward at the
point (c, f(c)) if f’(c) exists and if there is an open interval I
containing c such that for all values of x c in I the point (x, f(x))
on the graph is above the tangent line to the graph at (c,
f(c)).

The graph of a function f is said to be concave downward at


the point (c, f(c)) if f’(c) exists and if there is an open interval I
containing c such that for all values of x c in I the point (x, f(x))
on the graph is below the tangent line to the graph at (c, f(c)).
Theorem
Let f be a function that is differentiable on some open interval
containing c. Then

(i) if f”(c) > 0, the graph of f is concave upward at (c, f(c));

(ii) if f”(c) < 0, the graph of f is concave downward at


(c, f(c)).
Definition
The point (c, f(c)) is a point of inflection of the graph of the
function f if the graph has a tangent line there, and if there
exists an open interval I containing c such that if x is in I, then
either
(i) f”(x) < 0 if x < c, and f”(x) > 0 if x > c; or
(ii) f”(x) > 0 if x < c, and f”(x) < 0 if x > c.
Theorem
Suppose the function f is differentiable on some
open interval containing c, and (c, f(c)) is appoint
of inflection of the graph of f, then if f”(c) exists,
f”(c) = 0.
Example
Using the function f(x) = x3 – 6x2 + 9x + 1 in Example 1, find the point of
inflection of the graph of f and determine where the graph is concave
upward and concave downward.
f(x) f’(x) f”(x) Conclusion
x<2 – Graph of f is concave downward
x=2 3 –3 0 Graph of f has a point of inflection
2<x + Graph of f is concave upward

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