Chapter 27: Problem 39
Find the slope of a line tangent to the curve of \(y=x / \tan ^{-1} x\) at \(x=0.80 .\) Verify the result by using the numerical derivative feature of a calculator.
Short Answer
Expert verified
The slope of the tangent line at \( x = 0.80 \) is approximately 0.4104.
Step by step solution
01
Differentiate the given function
The function given is \( y = \frac{x}{\tan^{-1}x} \). First, we need to find its derivative with respect to \( x \) in order to determine the slope of the tangent line. Apply the quotient rule: if \( u(x) = x \) and \( v(x) = \tan^{-1}x \), then the derivative \( y' \) is given by: \[ y' = \frac{v(x)u'(x) - u(x)v'(x)}{(v(x))^2} = \frac{\tan^{-1}x \cdot 1 - x \cdot \frac{1}{1+x^2}}{(\tan^{-1}x)^2} \] Simplifying gives: \[ y' = \frac{\tan^{-1}x - \frac{x}{1+x^2}}{(\tan^{-1}x)^2} \].
02
Substitute the specific value of x into the derivative
Now that we have the derivative, substitute \( x = 0.80 \) into the expression to find the slope of the tangent line at that point. \[ y'(0.80) = \frac{\tan^{-1}0.80 - \frac{0.80}{1+0.80^2}}{(\tan^{-1}0.80)^2} \] Calculate \( \tan^{-1}0.80 \) and substitute the value into the equation. Using a calculator, \( \tan^{-1}0.80 \approx 0.6747 \). Therefore: \[ y'(0.80) = \frac{0.6747 - \frac{0.80}{1.64}}{(0.6747)^2} \] \[ y'(0.80) \approx \frac{0.6747 - 0.4878}{0.4552} \], which simplifies to approximately \( 0.4104 \).
03
Verify using a calculator's numerical derivative feature
Use a calculator that can compute numerical derivatives to confirm the result. Enter the function \( y = \frac{x}{\tan^{-1}x} \) and use the derivative feature to differentiate at \( x = 0.80 \). The calculator should provide a numerical value for the derivative close to the analytical result we calculated, \( y'(0.80) \approx 0.4104 \).
04
Conclusion: Interpret the Result
The slope of the tangent line to the curve \( y = \frac{x}{\tan^{-1}x} \) at \( x = 0.80 \) is approximately 0.4104. This means that at \( x = 0.80 \), the curve is inclining upwards with this slope.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Tangent Line
A tangent line to a curve at a given point is a straight line that just "touches" the curve at that point, without crossing it. This line represents the instantaneous direction that the curve is heading at that point.
- Imagine driving along a winding road; the tangent line is like a brief snapshot of the road at your exact location.
- The slope of the tangent line effectively tells you how steep the road is right where you are.
Slope
The slope of a tangent line, or any line, indicates how steep the line is. In more technical terms, the slope is the "rate of change" of the line, and for a tangent line, this rate of change is specific to a point on the curve.
- If you’ve ever skied down a hill, the slope gives you an idea of how gentle or how steep your path will be.
- In the context of the given problem, the slope at the point where \( x = 0.80 \) is approximately \( 0.4104 \), indicating a gentle upward incline at this spot on the curve.
Derivative
The derivative of a function is a fundamental concept in calculus that describes the rate at which a function's output changes as its input changes. In simpler words, it tells you how fast or slow a function is climbing or descending.
- In our problem, we differentiated the function \( y = \frac{x}{\tan^{-1}x} \) to find the slope of the tangent.
- Calculating the derivative is like peering into the crystal ball of the function, showing how it tweaks and turns.
Quotient Rule
The quotient rule is a method used in calculus for finding the derivative of a ratio of two functions. When you have a function that is one function divided by another, you use the quotient rule to differentiate it.
- Think of the quotient rule as a recipe that involves combining the derivatives of the top and bottom of a fraction to find the slope of its graph.
- The formula for the quotient rule is: \(\frac{v(x)u'(x) - u(x)v'(x)}{(v(x))^2}\). Here, \(u(x)\) and \(v(x)\) are the numerator and the denominator functions respectively.