Chapter 4: Problem 21
Identify the coordinates of any local and absolute extreme points and inflection points. Graph the function. $$y=x^{5}-5 x^{4}=x^{4}(x-5)$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
Local minimum at \( x = 4 \), inflection points at \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \).
Step by step solution
01
Find the derivative
To identify the critical points of the function, we first find its derivative. The function is given by: \[ y = x^{5} - 5x^{4} \]. Take the derivative: \[ y' = \frac{d}{dx}(x^{5} - 5x^{4}) = 5x^{4} - 20x^{3}. \]
02
Solve for critical points
Critical points occur where the derivative is zero or undefined. The derivative is given by: \[ y' = 5x^{4} - 20x^{3} = 5x^{3}(x - 4). \]Set the derivative to zero:\[ 5x^{3}(x - 4) = 0. \]This implies that the critical points are at \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 4 \).
03
Identify extreme points
To identify whether these critical points are local minima or maxima, use the second derivative test. First, find the second derivative: \[ y'' = \frac{d}{dx}(5x^{4} - 20x^{3}) = 20x^{3} - 60x^{2}. \]Evaluate at the critical points:For \( x = 0 \): \( y''(0) = 0 \).For \( x = 4 \): \( y''(4) = (20 \times 4^{3}) - (60 \times 4^{2}) = 320. \)Since \( y''(4) > 0 \), \( x = 4 \) is a local minimum.
04
Determine inflection points
Inflection points occur where the second derivative changes sign. Set the second derivative \( y'' = 20x^{3} - 60x^{2} \) to zero:\[ 20x^{2}(x - 3) = 0. \]This results in \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \). Check intervals around these points to see if \( y'' \) changes sign:For \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \), the concavity changes, indicating inflection points at both.
05
Graph the function
Use the information derived from the previous steps:- The function has a local minimum at \( x = 4 \).- There are inflection points at \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \).Plot these points and observe the curvature of the graph around these locations using a graphing calculator or graphing software to visualize.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Derivative Analysis
Analyzing the derivative of a function is key to understanding its behavior. The derivative helps us determine the rate at which the function changes. For the function \( y = x^5 - 5x^4 \), the derivative is obtained by applying basic differentiation rules:
- \( y' = 5x^4 - 20x^3 \)
Critical Points
Critical points occur where the derivative of the function is zero or undefined. These points determine where a function might change direction:
- For our function, we set \( 5x^3(x-4) = 0 \).
- Solving gives us the critical points at \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 4 \).
Extreme Values
Extreme values are the highest or lowest points the function reaches. They can be local (only within a small region) or absolute (through the entire domain). To distinguish if our critical points are extreme values, we use the second derivative test:
- First, calculate the second derivative: \( y'' = 20x^3 - 60x^2 \).
- Then evaluate at critical points.
- For \( x = 0 \): Second derivative is 0, indicating a potential inflection point rather than an extreme.
- For \( x = 4 \): \( y''(4) = 320 \), positive, meaning a local minimum.
Inflection Points
Inflection points represent where a graph changes concavity, switching from being concave up (like a cup) to concave down (like an umbrella), or vice versa. We determine these by finding where the second derivative changes sign.
- Set \( y'' = 20x^3 - 60x^2 = 0 \).
- This reveals potential inflection points at \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \).