3.9 Derivatives of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
So far, we have learned how to differentiate a variety of functions, including trigonometric, inverse, and implicit functions. In this section, we explore derivatives of exponential and logarithmic functions. As we discussed in Introduction to Functions and Graphs, exponential functions play an important role in modeling population growth and the decay of radioactive materials. Logarithmic functions can help rescale large quantities and are particularly helpful for rewriting complicated expressions.
3.9.1 Derivative of the Exponential Function
Just as when we found the derivatives of other functions, we can find the derivatives of exponential and logarithmic functions using formulas. As we develop these formulas, we need to make certain basic assumptions. The proofs that these assumptions hold are beyond the scope of this course.
First of all, we begin with the assumption that the function \(B(x) = b^{x},b > 0,\) is defined for every real number and is continuous. In previous courses, the values of exponential functions for all rational numbers were defined—beginning with the definition of \(b^{n},\) where \(n\) is a positive integer—as the product of \(b\) multiplied by itself \(n\) times. Later, we defined \(b^{0} = 1,b^{\text{−}n} = \frac{1}{b^{n}},\) for a positive integer \(n,\) and \(b^{s\text{/}t} = (\sqrt[t]{b})^{s}\) for positive integers \(s\) and \(t.\) These definitions leave open the question of the value of \(b^{r}\) where \(r\) is an arbitrary real number. By assuming the continuity of \(B(x) = b^{x},b > 0,\) we may interpret \(b^{r}\) as \(\underset{x\rightarrow r}{\text{lim}}b^{x}\) where the values of \(x\) as we take the limit are rational. For example, we may view \(4^{\pi}\) as the number satisfying
\[\begin{array}{l} {4^{3} < 4^{\pi} < 4^{4},4^{3.1} < 4^{\pi} < 4^{3.2},4^{3.14} < 4^{\pi} < 4^{3.15},} \\ {4^{3.141} < 4^{\pi} < 4^{3.142},4^{3.1415} < 4^{\pi} < 4^{3.1416}\text{,}\text{…}.} \end{array} \tag{1}\]
As we see in the following table, \(4^{\pi} \approx 77.88.\)
| \(x\) | \(4^{x}\) | \(x\) | \(4^{x}\) |
|---|---|---|---|
| \(3\) | 64 | \(3.141593\) | 77.8802710486 |
| \(3.1\) | 73.5166947198 | \(3.1416\) | 77.8810268071 |
| \(3.14\) | 77.7084726013 | \(3.142\) | 77.9242251944 |
| \(3.141\) | 77.8162741237 | \(3.15\) | 78.7932424541 |
| \(3.1415\) | 77.8702309526 | \(3.2\) | 84.4485062895 |
| \(3.14159\) | 77.8799471543 | \(4\) | 256 |
Table 1 Approximating a Value of \(4^{\pi}\)
We also assume that for \(B(x) = b^{x},b > 0,\) the value \(B'(0)\) of the derivative exists. In this section, we show that by making this one additional assumption, it is possible to prove that the function \(B(x)\) is differentiable everywhere.
We make one final assumption: that there is a unique value of \(b > 0\) for which \(B'(0) = 1.\) We define \(e\) to be this unique value, as we did in Introduction to Functions and Graphs. Figure 1 provides graphs of the functions \(y = 2^{x},y = 3^{x},y = 2.7^{x},\) and \(y = 2.8^{x}.\) A visual estimate of the slopes of the tangent lines to these functions at 0 provides evidence that the value of \(e\) lies somewhere between 2.7 and 2.8. The function \(E(x) = e^{x}\) is called the natural exponential function. Its inverse, \(L(x) = \text{log}_{e}x = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x\) is called the natural logarithmic function.
Figure 1 The graph of \(E(x) = e^{x}\) is between \(y = 2^{x}\) and \(y = 3^{x}.\)
For a better estimate of \(e,\) we may construct a table of estimates of \(B'(0)\) for functions of the form \(B(x) = b^{x}.\) Before doing this, recall that
\[B'(0) = \underset{x\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{x} - b^{0}}{x - 0} = \underset{x\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{x} - 1}{x} \approx \frac{b^{x} - 1}{x} \tag{2}\]
for values of \(x\) very close to zero. For our estimates, we choose \(x = 0.00001\) and \(x = -0.00001\) to obtain the estimate
\[\frac{b^{-0.00001} - 1}{-0.00001} < B'(0) < \frac{b^{0.00001} - 1}{0.00001}. \tag{3}\]
See the following table.
| \(b\) | \(\frac{b^{-0.00001} - 1}{-0.00001} < B'(0) < \frac{b^{0.00001} - 1}{0.00001}\) | \(b\) | \(\frac{b^{-0.00001} - 1}{-0.00001} < B'(0) < \frac{b^{0.00001} - 1}{0.00001}\) |
|---|---|---|---|
| \(2\) | \(0.693145 < B'(0) < 0.69315\) | \(2.7183\) | \(1.000002 < B'(0) < 1.000012\) |
| \(2.7\) | \(0.993247 < B'(0) < 0.993257\) | \(2.719\) | \(1.000259 < B'(0) < 1.000269\) |
| \(2.71\) | \(0.996944 < B'(0) < 0.996954\) | \(2.72\) | \(1.000627 < B'(0) < 1.000637\) |
| \(2.718\) | \(0.999891 < B'(0) < 0.999901\) | \(2.8\) | \(1.029614 < B'(0) < 1.029625\) |
| \(2.7182\) | \(0.999965 < B'(0) < 0.999975\) | \(3\) | \(1.098606 < B'(0) < 1.098618\) |
Table 2 Estimating a Value of \(e\)
The evidence from the table suggests that \(2.7182 < e < 2.7183.\)
The graph of \(E(x) = e^{x}\) together with the line \(y = x + 1\) are shown in Figure 2. This line is tangent to the graph of \(E(x) = e^{x}\) at \(x = 0.\)
Figure 2 The tangent line to \(E(x) = e^{x}\) at \(x = 0\) has slope 1.
Now that we have laid out our basic assumptions, we begin our investigation by exploring the derivative of \(B(x) = b^{x},b > 0.\) Recall that we have assumed that \(B'(0)\) exists. By applying the limit definition to the derivative we conclude that
\[B'(0) = \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{0 + h} - b^{0}}{h} = \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{h} - 1}{h}. \tag{4}\]
Turning to \(B'(x),\) we obtain the following.
\[\begin{array}{clccl} {B'(x)} & {= \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{x + h} - b^{x}}{h}} & & & \text{Apply the limit definition of the derivative.} \\ & {= \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{x}b^{h} - b^{x}}{h}} & & & {\text{Note that}\ b^{x + h} = b^{x}b^{h}.} \\ & {= \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{x}(b^{h} - 1)}{h}} & & & {\text{Factor out}\ b^{x}.} \\ & {= b^{x}\underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{h} - 1}{h}} & & & \text{Apply a property of limits.} \\ & {= b^{x}B'(0)} & & & {\text{Use}\ B'(0) = \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{0 + h} - b^{0}}{h} = \underset{h\rightarrow 0}{\text{lim}}\frac{b^{h} - 1}{h}.} \end{array} \tag{5}\]
We see that on the basis of the assumption that \(B(x) = b^{x}\) is differentiable at \(0,B(x)\) is not only differentiable everywhere, but its derivative is
\[B'(x) = b^{x}B'(0). \tag{6}\]
For \(E(x) = e^{x},E'(0) = 1.\) Thus, we have \(E'(x) = e^{x}.\) (The value of \(B'(0)\) for an arbitrary function of the form \(B(x) = b^{x},b > 0,\) will be derived later.)
3.9.2 Derivative of the Logarithmic Function
Now that we have the derivative of the natural exponential function, we can use implicit differentiation to find the derivative of its inverse, the natural logarithmic function.
Proof
If \(x > 0\) and \(y = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x,\) then \(e^{y} = x.\) Differentiating both sides of this equation results in the equation
\[e^{y}\frac{dy}{dx} = 1. \tag{14}\]
Solving for \(\frac{dy}{dx}\) yields
\[\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{e^{y}}. \tag{15}\]
Finally, we substitute \(x = e^{y}\) to obtain
\[\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{x}. \tag{16}\]
We may also derive this result by applying the inverse function theorem, as follows. Since \(y = g(x) = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x\) is the inverse of \(f(x) = e^{x},\) by applying the inverse function theorem we have
\[\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{f'\left( {g(x)} \right)} = \frac{1}{e^{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}} = \frac{1}{x}. \tag{17}\]
Using this result and applying the chain rule to \(h(x) = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\left( {g(x)} \right)\) yields
\[h'(x) = \frac{1}{g(x)}g'(x). \tag{18}\]
□
The graph of \(y = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x\) and its derivative \(\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{x}\) are shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 \(\text{The function}\ y = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x\) is increasing on \((0,\text{+}\infty).\) Its derivative \(y' = \frac{1}{x}\) is greater than zero on \((0,\text{+}\infty).\)
Now that we can differentiate the natural logarithmic function, we can use this result to find the derivatives of \(y = log_{b}x\) and \(y = b^{x}\) for \(b > 0,b \neq 1.\)
Proof
If \(y = \text{log}_{b}x,\) then \(b^{y} = x.\) It follows that \(\text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\left( b^{y} \right) = \text{ln}\ x.\) Thus \(y\ \text{ln}\ b = \text{ln}\ x.\) Solving for \(y,\) we have \(y = \frac{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b}.\) Differentiating and keeping in mind that \(\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b\) is a constant, we see that
\[\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{1}{x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b}. \tag{25}\]
The derivative in Equation 21 now follows from the chain rule.
If \(y = b^{x},\) then \(\text{ln}\ y = x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b.\) Using implicit differentiation, again keeping in mind that \(\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b\) is constant, it follows that \(\frac{1}{y}\ \frac{dy}{dx} = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b.\) Solving for \(\frac{dy}{dx}\) and substituting \(y = b^{x},\) we see that
\[\frac{dy}{dx} = y\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b = b^{x}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} b. \tag{26}\]
The more general derivative (Equation 24) follows from the chain rule.
□
3.9.3 Logarithmic Differentiation
At this point, we can take derivatives of functions of the form \(y = \left( {g(x)} \right)^{n}\) for certain values of \(n,\) as well as functions of the form \(y = b^{g(x)},\) where \(b > 0\) and \(b \neq 1.\) Unfortunately, we still do not know the derivatives of functions such as \(y = x^{x}\) or \(y = x^{\pi}.\) These functions require a technique called logarithmic differentiation, which allows us to differentiate any function of the form \(h(x) = g(x)^{f(x)}.\) It can also be used to convert a very complex differentiation problem into a simpler one, such as finding the derivative of \(y = \frac{x\sqrt{2x + 1}}{e^{x}\text{sin}^{3}x}.\) We outline this technique in the following problem-solving strategy.
For the following exercises, find \(f'(x)\) for each function.
1. \(f(x) = x^{2}e^{x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(2xe^{x} + x^{2}e^{x}\)
2. \(f(x) = \frac{e^{\text{−}x}}{x}\)
3. \(f(x) = e^{x^{3}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(e^{x^{3}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}\left( {3x^{2}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x + x^{2}} \right)\)
4. \(f(x) = \sqrt{e^{2x} + 2x}\)
5. \(f(x) = \frac{e^{x} - e^{\text{−}x}}{e^{x} + e^{\text{−}x}}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\frac{4}{\left( {e^{x} + e^{\text{−}x}} \right)^{2}}\)
6. \(f(x) = \frac{10^{x}}{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 10}\)
7. \(f(x) = 2^{4x} + 4x^{2}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(2^{4x + 2} \cdot \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 2 + 8x\)
8. \(f(x) = 3^{\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} 3\text{x}}\)
9. \(f(x) = x^{\pi} \cdot \pi^{x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\pi x^{\pi - 1} \cdot \pi^{x} + x^{\pi} \cdot \pi^{x}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\pi\)
10. \(f(x) = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\left( {4x^{3} + x} \right)\)
11. \(f(x) = \text{ln}\sqrt{5x - 7}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\frac{5}{2\left( {5x - 7} \right)}\)
12. \(f(x) = x^{2}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 9x\)
13. \(f(x) = \text{log}\mspace{2mu}\left( {\text{sec}\mspace{2mu} x} \right)\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\frac{\text{tan}\mspace{2mu} x}{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 10}\)
14. \(f(x) = \text{log}_{7}\left( {6x^{4} + 3} \right)^{5}\)
15. \(f(x) = 2^{x} \cdot \text{log}_{3}7^{x^{2} - 4}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(2^{x} \cdot \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 2 \cdot \text{log}_{3}7^{x^{2} - 4} + 2^{x} \cdot \frac{2x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 7}{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 3}\)
For the following exercises, use logarithmic differentiation to find \(\frac{dy}{dx}.\)
16. \(y = x^{\sqrt{x}}\)
17. \(y = \left( {\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} 2x} \right)^{4x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\left( {\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} 2x} \right)^{4x}\left\lbrack {4 \cdot \text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\left( {\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} 2x} \right) + 8x \cdot \text{cot}\mspace{2mu} 2x} \right\rbrack\)
18. \(y = \left( {\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x} \right)^{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}\)
19. \(y = x^{\text{log}_{2}x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(x^{\text{log}_{2}x} \cdot \frac{2\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}{x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 2}\)
20. \(y = \left( {x^{2} - 1} \right)^{\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x}\)
21. \(y = x^{\text{cot}\mspace{2mu} x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(x^{\text{cot}\mspace{2mu} x} \cdot \left\lbrack {\text{−}\text{csc}^{2}x \cdot \text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x + \frac{\text{cot}\mspace{2mu} x}{x}} \right\rbrack\)
22. \(y = \frac{x + 11}{\sqrt[3]{x^{2} - 4}}\)
23. \(y = x^{-1\text{/}2}\left( {x^{2} + 3} \right)^{2\text{/}3}\left( {3x - 4} \right)^{4}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(x^{-1\text{/}2}\left( {x^{2} + 3} \right)^{2\text{/}3}\left( {3x - 4} \right)^{4} \cdot \left\lbrack {\frac{-1}{2x} + \frac{4x}{3\left( {x^{2} + 3} \right)} + \frac{12}{3x - 4}} \right\rbrack\)
24. [T] Find an equation of the tangent line to the graph of \(f(x) = 4xe^{({x^{2} - 1})}\) at the point where
\(x = -1.\) Graph both the function and the tangent line.
25. [T] Find an equation of the line that is normal to the graph of \(f(x) = x \cdot 5^{x}\) at the point where \(x = 1.\) Graph both the function and the normal line.
Solution (click to reveal)
\(y = \frac{-1}{5 + 5\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 5}x + \left( {5 + \frac{1}{5 + 5\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 5}} \right)\)
26. [T] Find an equation of the tangent line to the graph of \(x^{3} - x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} y + y^{3} = 2x + 5\) at the point (2, 1). (Hint: Use implicit differentiation to find \(\frac{dy}{dx}.)\) Graph both the curve and the tangent line.
27. Consider the function \(y = x^{1\text{/}x}\) for \(x > 0.\)
- Determine the points on the graph where the tangent line is horizontal.
- Determine the points on the graph where \(y' > 0\) and those where \(y' < 0.\)
Solution (click to reveal)
- \(\left. x = e \right.\sim 2.718\) b. \(y'~ > ~0~\text{on}~(0,~e);~y'~ < ~0~\text{on}~(e,~\infty)\)
28. The formula \(I(t) = \frac{\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} t}{e^{t}}\) is the formula for a decaying alternating current.
Complete the following table with the appropriate values.
\(t\) \(\frac{\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} t}{e^{t}}\) 0 \(\frac{\pi}{2}\) \(\pi\) \(\frac{3\pi}{2}\) \(2\pi\) \(\frac{5\pi}{2}\) \(3\pi\) \(\frac{7\pi}{2}\) \(4\pi\) Using only the values in the table, determine where the tangent line to the graph of \(I(t)\) is horizontal.
29. [T] The population of Toledo, Ohio, in 2000 was approximately 500,000. Assume the population is increasing at a rate of 5% per year.
- Write the exponential function that relates the total population as a function of \(t.\)
- Use a. to determine the rate at which the population is increasing in \(t\) years.
- Use b. to determine the rate at which the population is increasing in 10 years.
Solution (click to reveal)
- \(P = 500{,}000(1.05)^{t}\) individuals b. \(P'(t) = 24395 \cdot (1.05)^{t}\) individuals per year c. \(39{,}737\) individuals per year
30. [T] An isotope of the element erbium has a half-life of approximately 12 hours. Initially there are 9 grams of the isotope present.
- Write the exponential function that relates the amount of substance remaining as a function of \(t,\) measured in hours.
- Use a. to determine the rate at which the substance is decaying in \(t\) hours.
- Use b. to determine the rate of decay at \(t = 4\) hours.
31. [T] The number of cases of influenza in New York City from the beginning of 1960 to the beginning of 1964 is modeled by the function
\(N(t) = 5.3e^{0.093t^{2} - 0.87t},(0 \leq t \leq 4),\) where \(N(t)\) gives the number of cases (in thousands) and \(t\) is measured in years, with \(t = 0\) corresponding to the beginning of 1960.
- Show work that evaluates \(N(0)\) and \(N(4).\) Briefly describe what these values indicate about the disease in New York City.
- Show work that evaluates \(N'(0)\) and \(N'(3).\) Briefly describe what these values indicate about the disease in New York City.
Solution (click to reveal)
- At the beginning of 1960 there were 5.3 thousand cases of the disease in New York City. At the beginning of 1964 there were approximately 723 cases of the disease in the United States. b. At the beginning of 1960 the number of cases of the disease was decreasing at rate of \(-4.611\) thousand per year; at the beginning of 1963, the number of cases of the disease was decreasing at a rate of \(-0.2808\) thousand per year.
32. [T] The relative rate of change of a differentiable function \(y = f(x)\) is given by \(\frac{100 \cdot f'(x)}{f(x)}\text{\%}.\) One model for population growth is a Gompertz growth function, given by \(P(x) = ae^{\text{−}b \cdot e^{\text{−}cx}}\) where \(a,b,\) and \(c\) are constants.
- Find the relative rate of change formula for the generic Gompertz function.
- Use a. to find the relative rate of change of a population in \(x = 20\) months when \(a = 204,b = 0.0198,\) and \(c = 0.15.\)
- Briefly interpret what the result of b. means.
For the following exercises, use the population of New York City from 1790 to 1860, given in the following table.
| Years since 1790 | Population |
|---|---|
| 0 | 33,131 |
| 10 | 60,515 |
| 20 | 96,373 |
| 30 | 123,706 |
| 40 | 202,300 |
| 50 | 312,710 |
| 60 | 515,547 |
| 70 | 813,669 |
Table 3 New York City Population Over Time
33. [T] Using a computer program or a calculator, fit a growth curve to the data of the form \(p = ab^{t}.\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(p = 35741(1.045)^{t}\)
34. [T] Using the exponential best fit for the data, write a table containing the derivatives evaluated at each year.
35. [T] Using the exponential best fit for the data, write a table containing the second derivatives evaluated at each year.
Solution (click to reveal)
| Years since 1790 | \(P^{''}\) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 69.25 |
| 10 | 107.5 |
| 20 | 167.0 |
| 30 | 259.4 |
| 40 | 402.8 |
| 50 | 625.5 |
| 60 | 971.4 |
| 70 | 1508.5 |
36. [T] Using the tables of first and second derivatives and the best fit, answer the following questions:
- Will the model be accurate in predicting the future population of New York City? Why or why not?
- Estimate the population in 2010. Was the prediction correct from a.?
Chapter Review Exercises
True or False? Justify the answer with a proof or a counterexample.
1. Every function has a derivative.
Solution (click to reveal)
False.
2. A continuous function has a continuous derivative.
3. A continuous function has a derivative.
Solution (click to reveal)
False
4. If a function is differentiable, it is continuous.
Use the limit definition of the derivative to exactly evaluate the derivative.
5. \(f(x) = \sqrt{x + 4}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\frac{1}{2\sqrt{x + 4}}\)
6. \(f(x) = \frac{3}{x}\)
Find the derivatives of the following functions.
7. \(f(x) = 3x^{3} - \frac{4}{x^{2}}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(9x^{2} + \frac{8}{x^{3}}\)
8. \(f(x) = \left( {4 - x^{2}} \right)^{3}\)
9. \(f(x) = e^{\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} x}\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(e^{\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} x}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu} x\)
10. \(f(x) = \text{ln}\mspace{2mu}\left( {x + 2} \right)\)
11. \(f(x) = x^{2}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu} x + x\mspace{2mu}\text{tan}\mspace{2mu}(x)\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(x\mspace{2mu}\text{sec}^{2}(x) + 2x\mspace{2mu}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu}(x) + \text{tan}\mspace{2mu}(x) - x^{2}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu}(x)\)
12. \(f(x) = \sqrt{3x^{2} + 2}\)
13. \(f(x) = \frac{x}{4}\mspace{2mu}\text{sin}^{-1}(x)\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\frac{1}{4}\left( {\frac{x}{\sqrt{1 - x^{2}}} + \text{sin}^{-1}(x)} \right)\)
14. \(x^{2}y = \left( {y + 2} \right) + xy\mspace{2mu}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu}(x)\)
Find the following derivatives of various orders.
15. First derivative of \(y = x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu}(x)\mspace{2mu}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu} x\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(\text{cos}\mspace{2mu} x \cdot \left( {\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} x + 1} \right) - x\mspace{2mu}\text{ln}\mspace{2mu}(x)\mspace{2mu}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} x\)
16. Third derivative of \(y = \left( {3x + 2} \right)^{2}\)
17. Second derivative of \(y = 4^{x} + x^{2}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu}(x)\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(4^{x}\left( {\text{ln}\mspace{2mu} 4} \right)^{2} + 2\mspace{2mu}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} x + 4x\mspace{2mu}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu} x - x^{2}\text{sin}\mspace{2mu} x\)
Find an equation of the tangent line to the following equations at the specified point.
18. \(y = \text{cos}^{-1}(x) + x\) at \(x = 0\)
19. \(y = x + e^{x} - \frac{1}{x}\) at \(x = 1\)
Solution (click to reveal)
\(T = \left( {2 + e} \right)x - 2\)
Draw the derivative for the following graphs.
20.
21.
Solution (click to reveal)
The following questions concern the water level in Ocean City, New Jersey, in January, which can be approximated by \(w(t) = 1.9 + 2.9\mspace{2mu}\text{cos}\mspace{2mu}\left( {\frac{\pi}{6}t} \right),\) where \(t\) is measured in hours after midnight, and the height is measured in feet.
22. Find and graph the derivative. What is the physical meaning?
23. Find \(w'(3).\) What is the physical meaning of this value?
Solution (click to reveal)
\(w'(3) = - \frac{2.9\pi}{6}.\) At 3 a.m. the tide is decreasing at a rate of 1.518 ft/hr.
The following questions consider the wind speeds of Hurricane Katrina, which affected New Orleans, Louisiana, in August 2005. The data are displayed in a table.
| Hours after Midnight, August 26 | Wind Speed (mph) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 45 |
| 5 | 75 |
| 11 | 100 |
| 29 | 115 |
| 49 | 145 |
| 58 | 175 |
| 73 | 155 |
| 81 | 125 |
| 85 | 95 |
| 107 | 35 |
Table 4 Wind Speeds of Hurricane Katrina
24. Using the table, estimate the derivative of the wind speed at hour 39. What is the physical meaning?
25. Estimate the derivative of the wind speed at hour 83. What is the physical meaning?
Solution (click to reveal)
\(-7.5.\) The wind speed is decreasing at a rate of 7.5 mph/hr