Thursday, May 26, 2016

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 3, 3.4, Section 3.4, Problem 28

This function is fully differentiable on a given interval. We can use the second derivative to determine concavity and inflection points. Let's find f'' and where its positive, negative or zero:
f''(x) = -sin(x) - cos(x) = -sqrt(2)*cos(x-pi/4).
This is zero at x-pi/4 = pi/2+k*pi, or x = (3*pi)/4 + k*pi for any integer k. There are two such x at [0, 2pi ], x=(3pi)/4 and x=(7pi)/4.
f''(x) is negative on (0, (3pi)/4), positive on ((3pi)/4, (7pi)/4) and is positive again on ((7pi)/4, 2pi). Therefore f(x) is concave downward on (0, (3pi)/4) and on ((7pi)/4, 2pi), and is concave upward on ((3pi)/4, (7pi)/4).
The points of inflection are (3pi)/4 and (7pi)/4.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?

In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...