Chapter 4: Problem 60
In Exercises 59 and \(60,\) give reasons for your answers. Let $$f(x)=\left|x^{3}-9 x\right|$$ $$\begin{array}{ll}{\text { a. Does } f^{\prime}(0) \text { exist? }} & {\text { b. Does } f^{\prime}(3) \text { exist? }} \\ {\text { c. Does } f^{\prime}(-3) \text { exist? }} & {\text { d. Determine all extrema of } f}\end{array}$$
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Analyze Derivative at x = 0
Analyze Derivative at x = 3
Analyze Derivative at x = -3
Determine Extrema Points
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Non-Differentiable Points
In our exercise, we have the function \( f(x) = |x^3 - 9x| \). The absolute value creates potential points of non-differentiability where the expression inside the |x| is zero.
- For \( x = 3 \), the expression becomes zero, leading to a sharp corner in the graph.
- Similarly, at \( x = -3 \), we also find a sharp corner indicating another non-differentiable point.
Extrema
In the context of derivatives, extrema occur where the derivative is zero (indicating a flat slope) or does not exist (potentially indicating a cusp or a sharp corner). From the given function \( f(x) = |x^3 - 9x| \), we identified:
- Non-differentiable points potentially acting as extrema.
- By evaluating at critical points \( x = -3, \) and \( x = 3, \) we find they are local minima.
Absolute Value Function
This characteristic can introduce points in a function where the transition is not smooth, often creating corners or slopes that do not exist on the derivative.
In \( f(x) = |x^3 - 9x| \), the crucial moments occur where \( x^3 - 9x \) changes sign:
- At \( x = 3 \) and \( x = -3 \), the path of the function sharply changes, not allowing for a smooth slope and hence no derivative exists at these points.
Critical Points
For \( f(x) = |x^3 - 9x| \), several analyses are conducted:
- Set the derivative \( f'(x) \) equal to zero (where applicable) or check where it does not exist, such as at \( x = 3 \) and \( x = -3 \).
- Evaluate the function at these critical points to analyze the behavior across the intervals.