Teacher Notes Activity 5

Objectives
Associate a meaning for right, left, and symmetric difference quotients that include rate of change and graphical interpretations Use symmetric difference quotients to approximate instantaneous rate of change

Materials

Average Rate of Change, Difference Quotients, and Approximate Instantaneous Rate of Change
Abstract

TI-84 Plus / TI-83 Plus

Teaching Time
100 minutes

In this activity, the average rate of change of a function between two points is defined and then used as a core concept connecting the ideas of slope, difference quotients, and approximations of instantaneous rates of change. Some questions require the student to use an algebraic approach, some require the student to use the graphing handheld for graphical exploration (tracing, finding intercepts, zooming), and some require the student to write a short paragraph explaining the reasoning behind the solution.

Management Tips and Hints

Prerequisites
Students should be able to: plot, trace, zoom, and find intersections on a graphing handheld. manipulate linear equations algebraically.

Evidence of Learning
Students should be able to apply each of the three difference quotients to a wide variety of functions and interpret the results.

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Calculus Activities

Common Student Errors/Misconceptions

The precision of the terminology (average rate of change between two points, instantaneous rate of change at a point, and so on) is important and should be considered during this activity.

Extensions
Use algebraic reasoning to show that the symmetric difference quotient is the average of the right- and left-sided difference quotients.
Hint: Look at Questions 9, 10, and 11 for an example of this.

Given the general quadratic function, f(x) = ax2 + bx + c, use algebraic reasoning to show that the symmetric difference quotient yields 2ax + b regardless of the value of h that you use.

Activity Solutions
- = 4 1. ----------2. y = 4x 3 3. (1, 1) and (3, 9) 4. --------------------------- = 2.2 5. y = 2.2x 1.2 6.

91 31

( 1.2 ) 2 1 2 1.2 1

7. Judging from the graph, the average rate of change found in Question 4 is a

better approximation for the instantaneous rate of change because the slope of the secant line connecting the points (1, 1) and (1.2, 1.44) is closer to the slope of the tangent line at (1, 1) than the slope of the secant line connecting the points (1, 1) and (3, 9). If you use the point (1, 1) and an h smaller than 0.2, then the approximation would be more precise (in this case).
Note: Closer points do not always give a better approximation. For example, examine f(x) = x3 2x2 + 2. The average rate of change between (0, 2) and (2, 2) is closer to the instantaneous rate of change than to the average rate of change between (0, 2) and (1, 1).

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Activity 5: Average Rate of Change, Difference Quotients, Approximate Instantaneous Rate of Change

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8. Right difference quotient 9. h = 0.2 10. Left difference quotient with h = 2 11. --------------------------- = 5.368

( 1.2 ) 1 1.2 1
4

( 0.8 ) = 2.952 12. 1 --------------------------1 0.8

4

( 1.2 ) ( 0.8 ) 13. ------------------------------------- = 4.16 1.2 0.8

14. y = 4.16x 2.9184 15. The symmetric difference quotient computed in Question 13 is the slope of the line found in Question 14. 16. 0.4096.

The graphing handheld screen looks like this:

17. 2.0736

( 1.0001 ) ( 0.9999 ) 18. --------------------------------------------------------- = 4.00000004 ; 4 1.0001 0.9999 1.1 1 1 1 1.1 1

- 3.162 19. ------------------------------------------20. No. The domain of f is x 1 , and in this case, the symmetric difference quotient

requires that f be defined for x < 1 .

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Calculus Activities

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Objectives
Associate a meaning for right, left, and symmetric difference quotients that include rate of change and graphical interpretations Use symmetric difference quotients to approximate instantaneous rate of change

Activity 5

Materials
TI-84 Plus / TI-83 Plus

Average Rate of Change, Difference Quotients, and Approximate Instantaneous Rate of Change
Introduction
In algebra and precalculus courses, it is likely that you studied functions thoroughly. You found values of functions at given input values, input values that yielded roots of functions, and input values at the intersection of two functions. Each of these tasks involved identifying particular function input and output values or, from a graphical perspective, finding particular points on the graphs of the functions. In calculus, understanding how function values are changing as input values change is more important than finding the values of a function at specific input values. A first step in this direction is exploring the concept of the average rate of change of a function between two input values.

Exploration
The average rate of change of a function f between two function input values, x1 and x2, is given by f ( x2 ) f ( x1) -------------------------------x2 x1
1. Find the average rate of change of f(x) = x2 between x1 = 1 and x2 = 3.

The average rate of change between two points is the slope of the line connecting the two points.

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Calculus Activities

2. Use algebraic reasoning to find the slope-

intercept equation of the line through the point (1, 1) with a slope equal to the rate of change from your answer to Question 1. This line is called the secant line of the function f between points x1 and x2. Use the viewing window shown to generate a graph of the function f(x) = x2, along with the line through (1, f(1)) with a slope equal to the average rate of change between x1 = 1 and x2 = 3.
3. Use the graph you generated and the intersect feature (found by selecting 5:intersect from the CALC Menu) of your graphing handheld to find the points

where the line intersects the graph of f. What are the coordinates of these points? Suppose that the rate of change of the function at a single point, for instance (1, 1), must be found. In other words, the instantaneous rate of change of f at x = 1. Right now, you have only approximated an instantaneous rate of change by computing the average rate of change between the point (1, 1) and some other point close to it.
4. Find the average rate of change of f(x) = x2 between the points (1, 1) and

(1.2, f(1.2)).
5. Use algebraic reasoning to find the equation of the secant line of f(x) = x2

between the points (1, 1) and (1.2, f(1.2)).

6. Input this equation into Y3 in the Y= editor, and graph Y1, Y2, and Y3 in the same

viewing window. Draw a sketch of the graph shown. The instantaneous rate of change can be thought of as the slope of the line tangent to the graph at the point. In this example, the instantaneous rate of change of f(x) = x2 at x = 1 is equal to the slope of the line tangent to the graph of f at x = 1.

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7. Which average rate of change (your answer to Question 1 or your answer to Question 4) is a better approximation of the instantaneous rate of change of

f(x) = x2 at x = 1? How can you get a more precise approximation? Explain. You can approximate the instantaneous rate of change for any function f at any point ( a, f ( a ) ) by finding the average rate of change between ( a, f ( a ) ) and some other point where the function exists. As you have seen, some approximations are better than others, and the second point is thought of as being close to the first point. If h is chosen to be a small, positive number, then the point ( a + h, f ( a + h ) ) is a second point on the graph of f. In addition, the point ( a + h, f ( a + h ) ) is to the right of the point ( a, f ( a ) ) . The average rate of change using these two points is: f( a + h) f( a) ------------------------------------h

This is called the right difference quotient. A point on the graph of f to the left of ( a, f ( a ) ) is ( a h, f ( a h ) ) , so the average rate of change using these two points is: f( a) f( a h ) -----------------------------------h This is called the left difference quotient. A third approximation for instantaneous rate of change of f at ( a, f ( a ) ) is: f( a + h) f( a h) ---------------------------------------------2h This is called the symmetric difference quotient.
8. Re-examine the average rate of change that you computed for Question 4 to

approximate the instantaneous rate of change at x = 1. Which kind of difference quotient (right, left, or symmetric) was illustrated?
9. What was used for h in the approximation described in Question 8? 10. Re-examine the average rate of change that you computed for Question 1

to approximate the instantaneous rate of change at x = 3. Which kind of difference quotient (right, left, or symmetric) was illustrated? What was used for h in this approximation?

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Calculus Activities

For Questions 11 through 18, let f(x) = x4.

11. Approximate the instantaneous rate of change of f at x = 1 by computing the

right difference quotient for f at x = 1 with h = 0.2.

12. Find the left difference quotient for f at x = 1 with h = 0.2. 13. Find the symmetric difference quotient for f at x = 1 with h = 0.2. 14. Write an equation of the line through the points (0.8, 0.4096) and (1.2, 2.0736). 15. How does the your answer to Question 14 compare with your answer to Question 13? Explain. 16. Input X^4 into Y1 in the Y= editor and the equation of the line that you found in Question 14 into Y2. After you have graphed these functions complete the

steps below.
a. Select 4:Zdecimal from the ZOOM Menu. This setting will make the distance

between each row and each column of pixels equal to 0.1 units.
b. Press r, and trace along y1 = x4 until x = 1. c. Select 4:SetFactors in the ZOOM MEMORY Menu, and set each zoom

factor to 4.
d. Select 2:Zoom In from the ZOOM Menu, and press .

Trace the graph of f so that the crosshairs are at x = 0.8. What is the corresponding y-value?
17. Trace the graph of f so that the crosshairs are at x = 1.2. What is the

corresponding y-value?
18. Find the symmetric difference quotient for f at x = 1 with h = 0.0001. What do

you predict is the actual instantaneous rate of change of f at x = 1?

19. Let f ( x ) =

x 1 . Approximate the instantaneous rate of change of f at x = 1 by computing the right difference quotient for f at x = 1 with h = 0.1.

20. Can the symmetric difference quotient be used for this function? Explain.

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