APPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENTIATION TINA R SEGARAN

Local Extremum Values and Absolute Extremum Values

Absolute Maximum value : biggest value of the function in a specific interval.

Absolute Minimum value : smallest value of the function in a specific interval.

For a quadratic function, the local maximum value is also the absolute maximum value.

Example 1: Find the absolute extremum value of the function y   x 2  4 x  1.

Curve Sketching

(a) The basic shape

(b) The y-intercept
(c) The x-intercept
(d) The stationary points
(e) The asymptotes

STEPS:

1) Check the equation for any symmetry.

 Only even powers of x: the curve is symmetrical about the y-axis.
 Only even powers of y: the curve is symmetrical about the x-axis.
2) Determine obvious points : y-intercept / x-intercept
dy
3) Find the points where  0.
dx
4) Determine the asymptotes if any. [for rational functions]
Horizontal asymptote: equate the coefficient of the highest power of x to zero.
Vertical asymptote: equate the coefficient of the highest power of y to zero.
5) Determine any ranges of values of x or y.

Example 2: Sketch the graph for each of the following cubic functions.

(a) y  x 3  x 2  8 x  8 (b) y   x  2  2  3  x 

(c) y   x  2  3  1 (d) y  8   x  2 3

Example 3: Sketch the graph for each of the following quartic functions.

(a) y  x x  1 3 (b) y   x  2 2  x  1 2 (c) y  4 x 2  x 4

CURVE SKETCHING FOR ALGEBRAIC RATIONAL FUNCTION

(a) Find the obvious points (x-intercept and y-intercept)

dy
(b) Find the points where  0.
dx

dy
(i)  0 increasing function
dx

dy
(ii)  0 decreasing function
dx

(c) Determine the vertical and horizontal asymptotes if any.

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APPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENTIATION TINA R SEGARAN

(d) Determine whether there is any symmetry about the y-axis (if the equation has
only even powers of x).

(e) Determine the range of y.

Steps (a)(b)(c) are necessary and sufficient.

x2
Example 4: Sketch the curve of y  .
2x  3

x2
Example 5: Sketch the curve of y  .
2 x

1  2x
Example 6: Sketch the curve of y  .
1  x  2
2x  5 1
Example 7: Given y  , prove that y  1 or y  for all real values of x. Hence,
x 4
2
4
2x  5
sketch the curve of y  2 .
x 4
Example 8: Sketch in separate diagrams, the graphs of the following.

1
(a) y   x  2  x  3 (b) y 
 x  2 x  3
Example 9: Sketch on separate diagrams, the graphs of the following.

5 5
(a) y   x  2  5  x  (b) y  (c) y 
 x  2 5  x   x  2 5  x 
Example 10: Sketch in separate diagrams, the graphs of the following.

(b) y   2  x 2 
2
(a) y  2  x 2

Example 11: Sketch the curve of y 2  x 2 1  x .

Example 12: Sketch on separate diagrams, the graph of the following.

(a) y  x 2 1  x  (b) y 2  x 2 1  x 

Example 13: Sketch the graphs of the following curves.

(a) y  2  e x (b) y  e  x  3 (c) y  xe x

RATES OF CHANGE

dy
is called the rate of change of y with respect to x.
dx

dy
 0 : y increases as x increases
dx

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APPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENTIATION TINA R SEGARAN

dy
 0 : y decreases as x increases
dx

Examples:

ds
1. The velocity v  is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time.
dt

dv
2. The acceleration a  is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.
dt

Example 1

Find the rate of change of the area, A  r 2 , of an increasing circular oil spill with
respect to the radius, r. What is the rate of change when r  20 metres?

Example 2

4 3
Find the rate of change of the volume, V  r , of a deflating spherical balloon
3
with respect to the radius, r. Hence, find the rate of change of the volume when
r  10 cm.

Example 3

A hollow cone of base radius 10cm and height 20cm is held with its vertex downwards.
Water is poured into the cone at the rate of 4 cm 3 s 1 .

(a) Find the rate at which the depth of the water in the cone is increasing when the
depth is 5 cm.

(b) Find the rate of increase in the depth of the water in the cone 4.5 seconds after
the pouring has started.

OPTIMISATION PROBLEMS

Example 1

A rectangle has a perimeter of 100 m. Find the length and width of the rectangle so
that the rectangle has a maximum area.

Example 2

Find the volume of the largest right circular cylinder that can be inscribed in a sphere
of radius, r.