Calculus 2 : Derivative at a Point

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Calculus 2

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have

, we can use the Power Rule

 for all  to determine that 

We also have a point  with a -coordinate , so the slope 

.

Example Question #42 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at ?

Possible Answers:

None of the above

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have

, we can use the Power Rule

 for all  to determine that 

We also have a point  with a -coordinate , so the slope 

.

Example Question #43 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at ?

Possible Answers:

None of the above

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have

, we can use the Power Rule

 for all  to determine that 

We also have a point  with a -coordinate , so the slope 

.

Example Question #3 : Derivative Rules For Sums, Products, And Quotients

Find the slope of the tangent line to the function  at .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The slope of the tangent line to a function at a point is the value of the derivative of the function at that point. In this problem,  is a quotient of two functions, , so the quotient rule is needed.

In general, the quotient rule is 

.

To apply the quotient rule in this example, you must also know that  and that .

Therefore, the derivative is 

The last step is to substitute  for  in the derivative, which will tell us the slope of the tangent line to  at .

Example Question #41 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at the point ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have , we can use the Power Rule

for all  to determine that

.

We also have a point  with a -coordinate  , so the slope

.

Example Question #45 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at the point ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have , we can use the Power Rule

 for all  to determine that 

.

We also have a point  with a -coordinate  , so the slope 

.

Example Question #46 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of  at the point ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have , we can use the Power Rule

 for all  to determine that 

.

We also have a point  with a -coordinate  , so the slope 

.

Example Question #47 : Derivative At A Point

Find the derivative of the following function at :

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The derivative of the function is

and was found using the following rules:

where , and 

Simply plug in  into the first derivative function and solve:

Example Question #41 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of a function  at ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have

, we can use the Power Rule  

for all  to determine that

 .

We also have a point  with a -coordinate , so the slope

.

Example Question #49 : Derivative At A Point

What is the slope of a function  at ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We define slope as the first derivative of a given function.

Since we have 

, we can use the Power Rule  

for all  to determine that 

 .

We also have a point  with a -coordinate , so the slope

.

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