Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Given the extrema and a POI, can we find the cubic equation (3.4 #61 page 196)?

 Given the extrema and a POI, can we find the cubic equation (3.4 #61 page 196)?




Using a Table of Slopes to Sketch a Graph(3.3 #73)

 Using a Table of Slopes to Sketch a Graph(3.3 #73)


Using what we know about the first derivative we can sketch a graph from a table of slopes.  I also show how to put the table into your calculator to see a graph of f'.

Monday, November 9, 2020

Graphing the Derivative from the graph of a f (3.3 # 59, p.188)

 Graphing the Derivative from the graph of a f (3.3 # 59, p.188)




The first derivative to a piecewise function (3.3 p.187 #39)

 The first derivative to a piecewise function (3.3 p.187 #39)




First Derivative, Increasing, Decreasing, and extrema (3.3 (p187) #11, 15, 17, 27, 35

 First Derivative, Increasing, Decreasing, and extrema (3.3 (p187) #11, 15, 17, 27, 35

The first derivative can find relative extremes when it changes from negative to positive (min) or positive to negative (max).  Here are 5 quick examples:

#11 -  0:00

#15 - 2:11

#17 - 3:28 

#27 - 6:00

#35 - 8:08


Another MVT example (3.2 #41)

Another MVT example (3.2 #41)



Another example of using the MVT and finding the place where the instantaneous slope matches the average (mean) slope.

Mean Value Theorem with a Calculator (3-2 #37)

 Mean Value Theorem with a Calculator (3-2 #37)


A basic polynomial to show what the MVT says and how to check your work with a TI-84 style calculator.

Monday, October 5, 2020

A Thinking Question About Slope Over Time (2.6 # 34)

 A Thinking Question About Slope Over Time (2.6 # 34)


Here we reflect on the how a positive derivative means something is increasing, and if it is negative, something is decreasing. We can then see an overall trend that is negative is indicating an inverse relationship between the variables (one goes up and the other goes down), and a positive trend in slope has a direct relationship (they go up and down together).  Looking at this should also get your brain in thinking about parametric relationships where both the x and y are are functions of time.  

Related Rates: Filling a Pool (2.6 # 19)

 Related Rates: Filling a Pool (2.6 # 19)


I encourage beginners to organize related rates word problems with these 5 steps:

1: Find what? 

2: Given what?

3: What is the connection between these?

4: Implicitly differentiate something.

5: Plug in what you know, solve for what you what to find (remember the units!)

Related Rates with The Volume of a Cone (2.6 #17)

 Related Rates with The Volume of a Cone (2.6 #17)



A related rates word problem has a lot of pieces, so try organizing your strategy:
1) Find what?
2) Given what?
3) Connect the given with what you need to find with an equation
4) Differentiate something
5) Substitute what you know, solve for what you what to find.


Related Rates (2.5 #5)

 Related Rates (2.5 #5)



We differentiate both sides of the equation with respect to time.  (After all, a "rate" is something over time)

TI-84 Tips to Show Curves are Orthogonal To Each Other (2.5 #63)

 TI-84 Tips to Show Curves are Orthogonal To Each Other (2.5 #63)



Here we use a TI-84 to show how two curves are orthogonal to each other.  If they are, then the tangent lines's slope at the points of intersection are perpendicular, and be negative reciprocals of each other:

If the slope is a/b, then the perpendicular slope is -b/a.  The calculator has a (CALC)5. intersect feature and a (CALC)6. dy/dx feature, so this is how we can tell if the curves are orthogonal.  

Tangents to a Circle (2.5 #57)

 Tangents to a Circle (2.5 #57)



While this is easily done with basic algebra, let's confirm our result with implicit differentiation!

A Second Derivative using Implicit Differentiation (2.5 #49)

 A Second Derivative using Implicit Differentiation (2.5 #49)


The second derivative is just the derivative of the first derivative.  When we differentiate implicitly two times, we can sometimes take advantage of substitution of a previous result to simplify our result with ease!


Sunday, October 4, 2020

Basic Related Rates Example Quiz Solutions

 Basic Related Rates Example Quiz Solutions



These examples use the formulas of the area and alums of circles, spheres, and cones.  These techniques are applicable to cubes, cylinders, rectangles, triangles, prisms and pyramids using their respective formulas.  I encourage beginners to organize the given information by these 5 steps:

1: Find what?

2: Given what?

3:What is the connection between these?

4:Implicity differentiate something

5:Plug in what you know, solve for what you don't know

Here is a pdf of these 5 problems and their solutions

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Implicit Differentiation (2.5 # 35, 37, 39)

 Implicit Differentiation (2.5 # 35, 37, 39)


We don't need to "solve for y" before we take a derivative.  This allows us to handle relationships that are not functions like these three examples.  The only thing to be mindful of it to use the chain rule! 

Do a derivative of y^2 is not merely 2y, it it 2y*(dy/dx) or if you like 2y*y'.


Finding Derivatives Based on a few facts (2.4 #98)

 Finding Derivatives Based on a few facts


Using a table of values to find a derivatives at a particular value of x. 
 


More Chain Rule Practice (2.4 #63)

 More Chain Rule Practice (2.4 #63)



The Chain rule to rescue, once again!


Tuesday, September 29, 2020

The Chain Rule in Action and Confirmed with our TI-84

 We attack a sec^3 function with the Chain Rule and confirm our slope with a TI-84



 We attack a sec^3 function with the Chain Rule and confirm our slope with a TI-84. The show the derivative of sec x is tan x * sec x.  Next we use the chain rule to twice to find the slope at x=0.

Tangent Line to A Circle with the Chain Rule (2.4 #79)

 Tangent Line to A Circle with the Chain Rule (2.4 #79)



He we find the slope of a semi-circle using the chain rule, and check our tangent line equation with a TI-84 style calculator.


Summer Topic: Domains

Not all functions can take any number. The set of numbers that the function can accept is called a domain.  Here we review how to analyze a ...