Chapter 5: Problem 3
(a) Use both the first and second derivative tests to show that \(f(x)=3 x^{2}-6 x+1\) has a relative minimum at \(x=1\) (b) Use both the first and second derivative tests to show that \(f(x)=x^{3}-3 x+3\) has a relative minimum at \(x=1\) and a relative maximum at \(x=-1\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
(a) \(x=1\) is a relative minimum for \(f(x)=3x^2-6x+1\). (b) \(x=1\) is a relative minimum and \(x=-1\) is a relative maximum for \(f(x)=x^3-3x+3\).
Step by step solution
01
Determine the first derivative of \(f(x)=3x^{2}-6x+1\)
Calculate the first derivative \(f'(x)=\frac{d}{dx}(3x^{2}-6x+1)\). The result is:\[ f'(x) = 6x - 6 \]
02
Solve \(f'(x)=0\) for critical points
Set \(f'(x)=6x-6=0\) and solve for \(x\). This gives \(6x=6\), so \(x=1\) is a critical point.
03
Apply the First Derivative Test for \(f(x)=3x^{2}-6x+1\)
Evaluate the sign of \(f'(x)\) around \(x=1\). For \(x<1\), choose \(x=0\): \(f'(0) = 6(0) - 6 = -6\) (negative). For \(x>1\), choose \(x=2\): \(f'(2) = 6(2) - 6 = 6\) (positive). The function changes from decreasing (-) to increasing (+), indicating a relative minimum at \(x=1\).
04
Determine the second derivative of \(f(x)=3x^{2}-6x+1\)
Calculate the second derivative \(f''(x)=\frac{d^2}{dx^2}(3x^{2}-6x+1)\). The result is:\[ f''(x) = 6 \]
05
Apply the Second Derivative Test for \(f(x)=3x^{2}-6x+1\)
Evaluate \(f''(x)\) at \(x=1\): \(f''(1) = 6\). Since \(f''(1) > 0\), \(f(x)\) is concave up at \(x=1\), confirming a relative minimum.
06
Determine the first derivative of \(f(x)=x^{3}-3x+3\)
Calculate the first derivative \(f'(x)=\frac{d}{dx}(x^{3}-3x+3)\). The result is:\[ f'(x) = 3x^{2} - 3 \]
07
Solve \(f'(x)=0\) for critical points
Set \(f'(x)=3x^{2} - 3 = 0\) and solve for \(x\). This gives \(3(x^{2}-1)=0\), leading to \(x^{2}=1\), so \(x=\pm1\) are critical points.
08
Apply the First Derivative Test for \(f(x)=x^{3}-3x+3\)
Evaluate the sign of \(f'(x)\) around the critical points. For \(x=-2\), \(f'(-2) = 9\) (positive); for \(x=0\), \(f'(0) = -3\) (negative); for \(x=2\), \(f'(2) = 9\) (positive). The function changes from increasing to decreasing at \(x=-1\), indicating a relative maximum, and from decreasing to increasing at \(x=1\), indicating a relative minimum.
09
Determine the second derivative of \(f(x)=x^{3}-3x+3\)
Calculate the second derivative \(f''(x)=\frac{d^2}{dx^2}(x^{3}-3x+3)\). The result is:\[ f''(x) = 6x \]
10
Apply the Second Derivative Test for \(f(x)=x^{3}-3x+3\) at each critical point
Evaluate \(f''(x)\) at the critical points. For \(x=-1\), \(f''(-1) = -6\) (negative), confirming a relative maximum. For \(x=1\), \(f''(1) = 6\) (positive), confirming a relative minimum.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
First Derivative Test
The first derivative test is a helpful way to identify local maxima and minima by examining how a function's slope changes at or around critical points. The steps are simple:
- First, find the first derivative of the function. This tells us the rate at which the function is changing.
- Next, solve for critical points by setting the first derivative equal to zero. Critical points occur where the slope of the tangent line to the curve is zero, indicating a potential max or min.
- Finally, check the sign of the first derivative on either side of each critical point. If it changes from negative to positive, there's a relative minimum. If it changes from positive to negative, there's a relative maximum.
Second Derivative Test
The second derivative test provides an alternative method for finding local maxima and minima by indicating the concavity of a function at its critical points.
- Start by finding the second derivative of the function. The second derivative gives us a sense of the rate of change of the slope, or in simpler terms, how the function bends around a point.
- Evaluate the second derivative at each critical point. If the result is positive, the function is concave up, and there's a relative minimum at that point. If negative, it indicates the function is concave down, signifying a relative maximum.
Critical Points
Critical points are the backbone of discovering a function's local maxima and minima. They're the points where the function's first derivative is either zero or undefined, indicating potential peaks or troughs.
- To find critical points, calculate the first derivative and set it to zero. Solve for the values of \(x\) where this occurs.
- Critical points don't automatically mean there's a max or min. It's essential to further analyze these points using either the first or second derivative test to understand their nature.