Chapter 3: Problem 21
Find the critical numbers of each function. $$ f(x)=-x^{4}+4 x^{3}-4 x^{2}+1 $$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The critical numbers are \( x = 0 \), \( x = 1 \), and \( x = 2 \).
Step by step solution
01
Find the derivative
To find the critical numbers, first, we need to find the derivative of the function. The function given is \[ f(x) = -x^4 + 4x^3 - 4x^2 + 1. \]The derivative, \( f'(x) \), is calculated as follows:- The derivative of \( -x^4 \) is \( -4x^3 \).- The derivative of \( 4x^3 \) is \( 12x^2 \).- The derivative of \( -4x^2 \) is \( -8x \).- The derivative of the constant \( 1 \) is \( 0 \).Putting it all together:\[ f'(x) = -4x^3 + 12x^2 - 8x. \]
02
Set the derivative to zero
To find the critical numbers, set the derivative equal to zero:\[ -4x^3 + 12x^2 - 8x = 0. \]
03
Factor the derivative equation
Factor the equation solved in Step 2:First, factor out the greatest common factor, which is \( -4x \):\[ -4x(x^2 - 3x + 2) = 0. \]Next, factor the quadratic equation:\[ x^2 - 3x + 2 = (x - 1)(x - 2). \]Thus, the equation becomes:\[ -4x(x - 1)(x - 2) = 0. \]
04
Solve the factored equation
Set each factor equal to zero and solve for \( x \):1. \( -4x = 0 \) gives \( x = 0 \).2. \( x - 1 = 0 \) gives \( x = 1 \).3. \( x - 2 = 0 \) gives \( x = 2 \).Thus, the critical numbers are \( x = 0 \), \( x = 1 \), and \( x = 2 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Derivative Calculation
Finding the derivative is an essential step in solving many calculus problems. A derivative gives us the rate at which a function is changing at any given point. It involves differentiating each term of the function separately and then combining these derivative terms. For our function, \( f(x) = -x^4 + 4x^3 - 4x^2 + 1 \), the derivative calculation proceeds as follows:
- Differentiate each term separately.
- The derivative of \( -x^4 \) is \( -4x^3 \). Simply multiply the power by the coefficient and reduce the power by one.
- The derivative of \( 4x^3 \) is \( 12x^2 \).
- The derivative of \( -4x^2 \) is \( -8x \).
- Finally, the derivative of a constant, such as \( 1 \), is \( 0 \).
Polynomial Function
A polynomial function is made up of terms that are non-negative integer powers of a variable. In our example, the function \( f(x) = -x^4 + 4x^3 - 4x^2 + 1 \) is a typical polynomial. Key characteristics of polynomial functions include:
- They can have constants, variables, and exponents.
- The exponents must be whole numbers.
- They should not have division by the variable, negative exponents, or variables under a root sign.
Factoring Equations
Factoring is a crucial skill in solving polynomial equations, especially when finding critical numbers where derivatives equal zero. Factoring involves writing polynomial expressions as a product of their simpler expressions. Let's consider how we factored the derivative equation:
- Initially, factor out the greatest common factor. In this case, \( -4x \) is common in all terms of \( -4x^3 + 12x^2 - 8x \), so we write it as \( -4x(x^2 - 3x + 2) \).
- Next, factor the quadratic \( x^2 - 3x + 2 \) further into \( (x - 1)(x - 2) \). We use methods such as testing factors of the constant term and learning to recognize patterns.
Calculus Problem Solving
Solving calculus problems involves a structured approach. The goal is often to find values like critical numbers which inform us about the characteristics of a function graph. For the problem at hand, follow these steps:
- Find the derivative of the function to understand how it changes.
- Set this derivative to zero to find critical points, which are x-values where the function's slope is zero, marking peaks or troughs.
- Factor the derivative equation to simplify finding these solutions, using greatest common factors and further polynomial factorization.
- Solve for the zero-points from the factored terms. Each solution can indicate a point of interest in the graph's behavior.