Chapter 10: Problem 23
Find the Taylor series generated by \(f\) at \(x=a.\) \(f(x)=x^{3}-2 x+4, \quad a=2\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The Taylor series is \( f(x) = 8 + 10(x-2) + 6(x-2)^2 + (x-2)^3 \).
Step by step solution
01
Introduction to Taylor Series
A Taylor series generated by a function \( f \) at a point \( a \) is an infinite sum that represents \( f(x) \) as \( f(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x-a) + \frac{f''(a)}{2!}(x-a)^2 + \frac{f'''(a)}{3!}(x-a)^3 + \ldots \). The goal is to calculate each derivative at \( a \) and evaluate the series.
02
Find \( f(a) \)
The first term in the Taylor series is the value of the function at \( a \). Here, \( f(x) = x^3 - 2x + 4 \), so \( f(2) = 2^3 - 2(2) + 4 = 8 - 4 + 4 = 8 \).
03
First Derivative \( f'(x) \)
Calculate the first derivative of \( f(x) = x^3 - 2x + 4 \). The derivative is \( f'(x) = 3x^2 - 2 \). Evaluate this at \( x = 2 \), so \( f'(2) = 3(2)^2 - 2 = 12 - 2 = 10 \). Thus, the term is \( 10(x-2) \).
04
Second Derivative \( f''(x) \)
Calculate the second derivative \( f''(x) = 6x \). Evaluate this at \( x = 2 \), so \( f''(2) = 6(2) = 12 \). Thus, the term is \( \frac{12}{2!}(x-2)^2 = 6(x-2)^2 \).
05
Third Derivative \( f'''(x) \)
Calculate the third derivative \( f'''(x) = 6 \), which is constant. Evaluate at \( x = 2 \), so \( f'''(2) = 6 \). Thus, the term is \( \frac{6}{3!}(x-2)^3 = 1(x-2)^3 \).
06
Construct The Taylor Series
Combine these results to construct the Taylor series: \[ f(x) = 8 + 10(x-2) + 6(x-2)^2 + (x-2)^3 \]. This represents the Taylor series generated by \( f \) at \( x=2 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Derivative
Derivatives help in understanding how a function changes. They are fundamental for constructing Taylor series. In a Taylor series, we use derivatives to approximate a function as a polynomial.
- First Derivative: Tells the slope or rate of change of the function. For the function \(f(x) = x^3 - 2x + 4\), the first derivative is \(f'(x) = 3x^2 - 2\), indicating how steep the function is at any point \(x\).
- Second Derivative: Reflects how the slope itself is changing. The second derivative \(f''(x) = 6x\) for our example shows the curvature of the function. A positive second derivative means the function is curving upwards.
- Higher Derivatives: Can be generalized as the slope of the slope, and so on. The third derivative \(f'''(x) = 6\) here is constant, meaning changes in the slope are consistent.
Polynomial
Polynomials are expressions made up of variables and coefficients, combined using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and non-negative integer exponents.In the Taylor series context, a function can often be represented as a polynomial around a certain point \(a\). For the function \(f(x) = x^3 - 2x + 4\), it is initially a polynomial, which makes it directly suitable for series expansion.
- Coefficients: These are determined by the derivatives of the function at \(x = a\). For example, the constant term in the Taylor polynomial comes from \(f(a)\), the first derivative gives the linear term coefficient, and so on.
- Degree: The degree of the polynomial reflects the highest power of \(x\). In Taylor series, the degree is expanded period-wise with higher derivatives contributing further terms.
- Flexibility: Polynomials have a straightforward structure, making them easy to evaluate and differentiate multiple times.
Series Expansion
Series expansion is a method of expressing a function as an infinite sum of terms. The Taylor series is one of the primary ways to achieve this.
- Infinite Sum: Although it is termed as 'infinite', often we only use a finite number of terms for practical calculations, especially if those terms efficiently estimate the function around a point.
- Approximation: Taylor series allows us to approximate functions with polynomial expressions by utilizing their derivatives at a specific point \(a\). This is helpful for calculative convenience, especially near \(a\).
- Convergence: For a Taylor series to effectively represent a function, it must converge, meaning the sum of terms should approach the function value as more terms are included.