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10-19-2008, 07:03 PM | #1 |
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[Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
Currently, we are on chapter three: Derivatives. Here is the problem.
1) If f(2)=3 and (f)'(2)=5, find an equation of a) the tangent line, and b) the normal line to the graph of y=f(x) at the point where x=2. I have no idea how to approach this problem, and neither my notes nor the section examples give any help. I may be in over my head taking AP Calculus AB, however I took it because highschool statistics is a joke and there were no college prep highschool calculus courses to be offered at my school. Thank you.
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10-19-2008, 07:13 PM | #2 |
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Re: [Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
f(2) = 3 gives you the points on the line.
f'(2) = 5 gives you the slope at point two of the tangent line. From this, you can write the slope of the tangent line. x = 2 y = 3 m = 5 Point-slope form: y - y(1) = m(x - x(1)) y - 3 = 5(x - 2) You can put that in slope-intercept form if you like. Next, for the normal line, the slope of a normal line is just the opposite reciprocal of the tangent line's slope. So therefore your slope just changes to -1/5 So....again... y - 3 = -1/5(x - 2) And again, you can put that in slope-intercept form if you like. Just remember that derivative is another word for "slope". So the f'(2) = 5 can really be read, "the slope at 2 is 5" Hope this helps. |
10-22-2008, 08:03 PM | #3 |
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Re: [Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
Thank you. I'd like to pose another question instead of another topic.
3) Use the definition f'(a) = the limit as x->a f(x)-f(a)/x-a to find the derivative of f(x) = 1/x at x=3. I realize you start with the definition, but where do you get x and a from? 3?
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10-22-2008, 08:25 PM | #4 |
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Re: [Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
The x is just the variable, and a comes from the information you're given.
f(x) = 1/x at x=3. So the "a" you're looking for is 3. It's kind of confusing considering it says x=3 rather than a=3, but what they're trying to get across is this: if you ever see just the variable x, it refers to any point along the x-axis. A value "a" or whatever will be a specific point along that axis. So you're looking to solve this: lim (1/x - 1/3)/x-3 x>3 Your goal is going to be to rewrite the numerator in such a way as to be able to cancel something out with the denominator, so that when you plug 3 in for x, the denominator doesn't go to zero. |
10-22-2008, 08:25 PM | #5 |
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Re: [Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
well first derive the equation, which would be 1/x^2 correct? Then you just pug in the three and get your answer.
1/x^2 = 1/3^2 = 1/9 ? |
10-22-2008, 08:27 PM | #6 |
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Re: [Highschool - Calculus] Finding Equation of a Tangent Line and Normal Line
3) Use the definition f'(a) = the limit as x->a f(x)-f(a)/x-a to find the derivative of f(x) = 1/x at x=3.
so. lim [x->a] [ f(x) - f(a) ] / (x - a) lim [x->a] [ 1/x - 1/a ] / (x - a) lim [x->a] [ (a - x) / ax ] / (x - a) lim [x->a] [ - (x - a) / ax ] / (x - a) lim [x->a] - 1 / ax = - 1 / x^2 f'(x) = - 1 / x^2 So when x = 3, f'(3) = - 1/9 |
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