Chapter 2: Problem 64
Find a parabola with equation \(y=a x^{2}+b x+c\) that has slope 4 at \(x=1,\) slope \(-8\) at \(x=-1,\) and passes through the point \((2,15) .\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The equation of the parabola is \( y = 3x^2 - 2x + 7 \).
Step by step solution
01
Derive the Derivative
The slope of the parabola is given by the derivative of the function. Start with the function \( y = ax^2 + bx + c \) and differentiate it with respect to \( x \). This gives \( \frac{dy}{dx} = 2ax + b \). The derivative represents the slope of the parabola at any point \( x \).
02
Use Slope Condition at x=1
From the problem, the slope at \( x = 1 \) is 4. Substitute \( x = 1 \) into the derivative and set it equal to 4: \( 2a(1) + b = 4 \). This simplifies to \( 2a + b = 4 \).
03
Use Slope Condition at x=-1
The slope at \( x = -1 \) is -8. Substitute \( x = -1 \) into the derivative and set it equal to -8: \( 2a(-1) + b = -8 \). This simplifies to \( -2a + b = -8 \).
04
Solve the System of Equations for a and b
Now solve the system of equations from Step 2 and Step 3:\[\begin{align*}2a + b &= 4 \-2a + b &= -8\end{align*}\]Subtract the second equation from the first:\[ 4a = 12 \]Thus, \( a = 3 \). Substitute \( a = 3 \) into \( 2a + b = 4 \):\[ 2(3) + b = 4 \quad \Rightarrow \quad b = -2 \].
05
Use the Point Condition to Find c
The parabola passes through the point \((2, 15)\). Substitute \( x = 2 \), \( y = 15 \), \( a = 3 \), and \( b = -2 \) into the equation: \( 15 = 3(2)^2 - 2(2) + c \). Simplify to find \( c \): \( 15 = 12 - 4 + c \) which gives \( c = 7 \).
06
Formulate the Equation of the Parabola
Substitute \( a = 3 \), \( b = -2 \), and \( c = 7 \) into the general equation for the parabola: \( y = 3x^2 - 2x + 7 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Derivative
The derivative of a function is a crucial mathematical tool that helps us find the slope or rate of change of that function at any given point. In the context of a parabola, the derivative provides insights into how the shape of the curve changes as we move along the x-axis. For the parabola equation given by \[ y = ax^2 + bx + c, \]its derivative is expressed as\[ \frac{dy}{dx} = 2ax + b. \]This equation tells us the slope of the tangent line to the parabola at any point \( x \). By understanding and utilizing the derivative, we can solve various problems involving parabolas with ease.
Slope Condition
The slope condition involves determining the slope of a function at specific points. In this exercise, the parabola must have a slope of 4 at \( x = 1 \) and a slope of -8 at \( x = -1 \). The derivative allows us to set conditions for these slopes. For instance:- At \( x = 1 \), the slope is given by substituting into the derivative, resulting in \[ 2a(1) + b = 4, \] which simplifies to \( 2a + b = 4 \).- At \( x = -1 \), the slope \[ 2a(-1) + b = -8, \] simplifies to \( -2a + b = -8 \).These slope conditions allow us to create equations that describe the behavior of the parabola's curve at specific x-values, thus helping us identify the coefficients \( a \) and \( b \).
System of Equations
Once we have our slope conditions, we can set up a system of equations to solve for the parabola's coefficients. The equations derived from the slope conditions are:\[ \begin{align*}2a + b &= 4 \-2a + b &= -8\end{align*} \]To solve these, you can use methods like substitution or elimination. In this instance, subtracting the second equation from the first simplifies directly to:- \( 4a = 12, \)which solves to give \( a = 3 \). Substituting \( a = 3 \) back into the first equation, we find:- \( 2(3) + b = 4, \)so \( b = -2 \). These solutions fit neatly into our equation for the parabola.
Point Condition
The point condition requires the parabola to pass through a specific point, given in this exercise as \((2, 15)\). We now need to substitute this point and earlier found coefficients (\( a = 3 \), \( b = -2 \)) into the parabola equation to find \( c \):\[ 15 = 3(2)^2 - 2(2) + c. \]Simplifying this gives- \( 15 = 12 - 4 + c \)from which we find that \( c = 7 \).Putting it all together, the final equation of the parabola becomes:\[ y = 3x^2 - 2x + 7. \]This encapsulates all given conditions: the slopes at \( x=1 \) and \( x=-1 \), and the pass-through point \((2, 15)\).