Unit 5 Review – Analytical Applications of Differentiation

This review summarizes everything from Unit 5 along with examples but contains no problems to work through.

DEFINITIONS
Extrema: The maximum and minimum points. Extrema can be absolute or relative.

Critical Points: Where the first derivative is zero or DNE. These are possible maximum, minimum, or
points of inflection!
𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓 𝑥 𝐷𝑁𝐸 𝑓 𝑥 𝐷𝑁𝐸

Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal Vertical Tangent Cusp (No

Tangent Tangent Tangent Point of Inflection Tangent)
Maximum Minimum Point of Inflection Maximum

Concavity: Where the function is “cupping” up or down

CONCAVE UP CONCAVE DOWN

Points of Inflection: Where the second derivative is zero or DNE and changes sign!

FIRST DERIVATIVE
The first derivative is the instantaneous rate of change, or the slope of the tangent line, and can determine
if the function is increasing or decreasing at a given point.
𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓 𝑥 0

Function is increasing Function is not increasing Function is decreasing

or decreasing

SECOND DERIVATIVE
The second derivative determines concavity.
𝑓 𝑥 0 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0

Concave Up Neither concave up or Concave Down

concave down
FINDING EXTREMA
The First Derivative Test
EXAMPLE
STEPS
𝒇 𝒙 𝒙𝟐 𝟐𝒙 𝟏
𝑓 𝑥 2𝑥 2
1. Find the critical points.
0 2𝑥 2
𝑥 1

Interval ∞, 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏, ∞
2. Determine whether the function is
Test Value 2 1 2
increasing or decreasing on each side of
𝑓 2 𝑓 1 𝑓 2 6
every critical point. 𝑓′ 𝑥
Negative 0 Positive
A chart or number line helps!
Function decreases to the left and increases to the
right of 𝑥 1 so it must be relative minimum point

The Second Derivative Test

EXAMPLE
STEPS
𝒇 𝒙 𝒙𝟐 𝟐𝒙 𝟏
𝑓 𝑥 2𝑥 2
1. Find the critical points.
0 2𝑥 2
𝑥 1

2. Determine whether the function is concave up 𝑓′′ 1 2

or concave down at every critical point using Second derivative is positive at 𝑥 1
the second derivative. Concave up
𝑥 1 is a relative minimum point

Finding Absolute Extrema on an Interval (Candidates Test)

EXAMPLE
STEPS
𝒇 𝒙 𝒙𝟐 𝟐𝒙 𝟏 on the interval 𝟑, 𝟎
1. Find the critical points. The critical points are
𝑓 𝑥 2𝑥 2
candidates as well as the endpoints of the
0 2𝑥 2
interval.
𝑥 1

𝑓 3 4 absolute maximum
2. Check all candidates using the 𝑓 𝑥 .
𝑓 1 0 absolute minimum
𝑓 0 1
LINEAR MOTION
The chart matches up function vocabulary with linear motion vocabulary.
FUNCTION LINEAR MOTION
Value of a function at x Position at time t
First Derivative Velocity
Second Derivative Acceleration
𝑓 𝑥 0
Moving right or up
Increasing Function
𝑓 𝑥 0
Moving left or down
Decreasing Function
𝑓 𝑥 0 Not moving
Absolute Max Farthest right or up
Absolute Min Farthest left or down
𝑓 𝑥 changes signs Object changes direction
𝑓 𝑥 and 𝑓 𝑥 have same
Speeding Up
sign
𝑓 𝑥 and 𝑓 𝑥 have
Slowing Down
different signs

Example:
A particle moves along the x-axis with the position function 𝑥 𝑡 𝑡 4𝑡 2 where 𝑡 0.
Interval 𝟎, 𝟐 𝟐 𝟐, 𝟑 𝟑 𝟑, ∞
𝑥 𝑡 0 𝑥 𝑡 0 𝑥 𝑡 0 𝑥 𝑡 0
𝒙 𝒕 𝑥 𝑡 0
increasing Increasing increasing decreasing
velocity Not moving
right right right left
𝑥 𝑡 0 𝑥 𝑡 0 𝑥 𝑡 0
𝒙 𝒙 𝑥 𝑡 0
𝑥 𝑡 0 Concave Concave Concave
acceleration Concave up
down down down
Speeding Moving Slowing Not Speeding
Conclusion
Up Right Down Moving Up

FUNCTION LINEAR MOTION

𝑡 3 has no velocity
𝑡 3 is maximum
Changing direction
Increasing 0,3 Moving right 0,3
Decreasing 3, ∞ Moving left 3, ∞
GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS
Connecting 𝒇 𝒙 to 𝒇 𝒙
𝒇 𝒙 𝒇′ 𝒙
𝑓 𝑥 max at 𝑥 2.2 and min 𝑥 2.2
so 𝑓 𝑥 0 at these points

𝑓 𝑥 is increasing on
∞, 2.2 2.2, ∞
so 𝑓 𝑥 0 on these intervals

𝑓 𝑥 is decreasing on 2.2, 2.2

so 𝑓 𝑥 0 on this interval

Connecting 𝒇 𝒙 to 𝒇 𝒙
𝒇 𝒙 𝒇 𝒙
𝑓 𝑥 is concave down on ∞, 0
so 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0 on this interval

𝑓 𝑥 is concave up on 0, ∞
so 𝑓 𝑥 0 on this interval

𝑥 0 is a point of inflection on 𝑓 𝑥
so 𝑓′′ 𝑥 changes sign at 𝑥 0.

Connecting 𝒇 𝒙 to 𝒇 𝒙
𝒇 𝒙 𝒇 𝒙
𝑓′ 𝑥 min 𝑥 0
so 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0 at 𝑥 0

𝑓′ 𝑥 is decreasing on ∞, 0
so 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0 on this interval

𝑓′ 𝑥 is increasing on 0, ∞
so 𝑓′′ 𝑥 0 on this interval
 Using 𝒇 𝒙 to draw conclusions about 𝒇 𝒙
𝒇 𝒙 Find Extrema of 𝒇 𝒙
𝑥 2 and 4 are critical points because
𝑓 𝑥 0

𝑥 2 is a maximum because
𝑓′ 𝑥 is positive on left, negative on right

𝑥 4 is NOT an extrema because

𝑓′ 𝑥 is negative on left, negative on right

Find Points of Inflection of 𝒇 𝒙

𝑥 1, 3, and 4 are possible points of inflection 𝑥 3 is a point of inflection because
because 𝑓′′ 𝑥 changes sign from negative to positive at
𝑓 𝑥 0 or 𝐷𝑁𝐸 𝑥 3.

𝑥 1 is a point of inflection because 𝑥 4 is a point of inflection because

𝑓′′ 𝑥 changes sign from positive to negative at 𝑓′′ 𝑥 changes sign from positive to negative at
𝑥 1. 𝑥 4.

Now interpret the same graph as linear motion if the graph represents velocity of a particle moving along
x-axis.
𝒙′ 𝒕 Moving Right or Left?
Particle moves right on 0,2 .

𝑡 2 particle changes direction.

Particle moves left on 2,4 4,7 .

𝑡 4 particle has no velocity.

The maximum speed happens at 𝑡 3.

Speeding up or Slowing down?

Particle speeds up on 0,1
because 𝑓 𝑥 has the same sign as 𝑓 𝑥 Particle speeds up on 2,3
because 𝑓 𝑥 has the same sign as 𝑓 𝑥
Particle slows down on 1,2
because 𝑓 𝑥 has a different sign from 𝑓 𝑥 Particle slows down on 3,4
because 𝑓 𝑥 has a different sign from 𝑓 𝑥
Particle speeds up on 4,7
because 𝑓 𝑥 has the same sign as 𝑓 𝑥