APPLICATIONS OF THE DERIVATIVE:

CRITICAL POINTS: RELATIVE EXTREMUM: MAXIMA AND MINIMA

INCREASING FUNCTION
If y = f(x), then y is said to be an increasing function of x if the value of y increases as
x increases.

DECREASING FUNCTION
If y = f(x), then y is said to be a decreasing function of x if the value of y decreases as
x increases.

STATIONARY FUNCTION
If y = f(x), then y is said to be a stationary function of x if the slope of the graph of y
is zero.

CRITICAL VALUE
Any value of x, say a, in the domain of the function y = f(x) is a critical value if f(a) =
0 or f(a) is undefined.

CRITICAL POINT
A critical point is the point on the graph of y = f(x) where x is the critical value a, that
is, (a, y).

MAXIMUM POINT
A maximum point is a critical point where the function y = f(x) changes from
increasing to decreasing. The function is said to have a relative maximum value at
that point.

MINIMUM POINT
A minimum point is a critical point where the function y = f(x) changes from
decreasing to increasing. The function is said to have a relative minimum value at that
point.

THEOREM: THE FIRST DERIVATIVE TEST (FDT) FOR RELATIVE EXTREMUM

Let the function y = f(x) be continuous on (a, b) containing the number c, and suppose
that f(x) exists for all points in (a, b) except possibly at c.
(i) The function y = f(x) has a relative maximum value at c if f(x) > 0 for all values of x
in some open interval having c as its right endpoint and if f(x) < 0 for all x in some
open interval having c as its left endpoint.
(ii) The function y = f(x) has a relative minimum value at c if f(x) < 0 for all values of x
in some open interval having c as its right endpoint and if f(x) > 0 for all x in some
open interval having c as its left endpoint.

NOTES:
The function y = f(x) is increasing at an interval when f(x) is positive.
The function y = f(x) is decreasing at an interval when f(x) is negative.
The function y = f(x) is a maximum at x = a when f(a) = 0 and f(x) changes sign
from + to as x increases through a.
The function y = f(x) is a minimum at x = a when f(a) = 0 and f(x) changes sign
from to + as x increases through a.

EXERCISE: Find the critical points, give the properties, and trace the curves of the following
functions.

1. y x2 4x 1
 2. y x3 3x 5

3. y x4 4x3 2x2 12x

4. y 3x4 16x3 24x2

5. y x5 5x3 20x 2

6. y x x1

CRITICAL POINTS: POINTS OF INFLECTION: CONCAVITY

CONCAVE UPWARD
A function y = f(x) is said to be concave upward on an interval if f(x) > 0 at each
point in the interval.

CONCAVE DOWNWARD
A function y = f(x) is said to be concave downward on an interval if f(x) < 0 at each
point in the interval.

POINT OF INFLECTION
If a function changes its sense of concavity, that is, from concave upward to concave
downward or vice versa, around a point, it is called a point of inflection of the
function.

POINT OF INFLECTION WITH HORIZONTAL TANGENT

A point where the slope of the function changes from + to 0 to +, or to 0 to is called
a point of inflection with horizontal tangent.

THEOREM: THE SECOND DERIVATIVE TEST (SDT) FOR RELATIVE EXTREMUM

Given: y = f(x). Let f(x) and f(x) exist at every point of an open interval (a, b)
containing c, and let f(c) = 0.
(i) The function y = f(x) has a relative maximum value If f(c) < 0.
(ii) The function y = f(x) has a relative minimum value If f(c) > 0.

NOTES:
The function y = f(x) is concave upward at x = a when f(a) is positive.
The function y = f(x) is concave downward at x = a when f(a) is negative.
The function y = f(x) has a point of inflection at x = a when f(a) = 0, and f(x)
changes sign as x increases through a.
The function y = f(x) is a maximum at x = a when f(a) = 0 and f(a) is negative.
The function y = f(x) is a minimum at x = a when f(a) = 0 and f(a) is positive.

EXERCISE: Find the critical points and/or the points of inflection, give the properties, and
trace the curves of the following functions.

5 4
1. y 3x 5x
1 3 1 2
y x x 2x
2. 3 2

3.

y x2 1 x 1

4 3 2
4. y 3x 8x 6x
 2

5. y x 2 2
x 1 2
y
6. x

1 4

7. y x3 2x3

APPLICATIONS OF MAXIMA AND MINIMA

Steps in solving Maxima and Minima problems:

1. Read the problem very carefully.

2. Determine the given and identify the unknown/s and the quantity to be
maximized or minimized.
3. Represent one unknown in terms of a variable, and express the other
unknowns in terms of the same variable.
4. Form a function using the conditions given in the problem by relating the
known and the unknown quantities. (Use formulas connecting the known
quantities with the unknown quantities).
5. Differentiate the function obtained in step 4.
6. Solve for the critical values by setting the derivative equal to zero.
7. Use the FDT or SDT to determine whether these values maximize or minimize
the given quantity.

EXERCISE:
1. Find two numbers whose sum is 18, and the sum of whose squares is a
minimum.
2. Find two numbers whose sum is 21, if the product of one to the square of the
other is to be a minimum.
3. Find two numbers whose sum is 24, if the product of one by the cube of the
other is to be a maximum.
4. Find two numbers whose sum is 25, if the product of the square of one by the
cube of the other is to be a maximum.
5. What should be the shape of a rectangular field of a given area, if it is to be
enclosed by the least amount of fencing?
6. A rectangular lot is to be fenced off along a highway. If the fence on the
highway costs $2.50 per foot, on the other sides $1.50 per foot, find the
dimensions of the largest lot that can be fenced off for $720.
 7. A closed box, whose length is twice its width, is to have a surface of 192
square inches. Find the dimensions of the box when the volume is a
maximum.
8. A rectangular field with area of 7500 square feet is to be enclosed and divided
into five lots by fences parallel to one of the sides. What should be the
dimensions of the field to make the amount of fencing minimum?
9. Find the most economical proportions for a cylindrical cup.
10. A lot has the form of a right triangle, with perpendicular sides 60 and 80
feet long. Find the dimensions of the largest rectangular building that can be
constructed, facing the hypotenuse of the triangle.

DIFFERENTIATION WITH RESPECT TO TIME

TIME-RATES
dx
If the value of a variable x is dependent on the time t, then dt is called its time-rate
or rate of change with respect to time. If two or variables are related by an equation and
each of the variables depends on the time, then a relation among their respective time-
rates may be obtained by differentiating the given equation with respect to time.

Illustration:
1. Differentiate xy 10with respect to time.
dy dx
2. Find dt when dt = 3 if x = 2.

Steps in solving problems involving time-rates:

1. Read the problem very carefully.

2. Determine the given and identify the unknown/s and the quantity to be differentiated with
respect to time.
3. Find an equation involving the variables which is true for any time t.
4. Differentiate the equation obtained in step 3 with respect to t.
5. Determine the unknown time-rate from step 2, using step 3, if necessary.

Exercise: Do the following problems as indicated.

1. If the radius of a circle increases at a rate of 0.01 inch per second, find the rate of
change of the area when the radius is 3 inches long.
2. Water is flowing into a vertical cylindrical tank at the rate of 30 cubic feet per minute. If
the radius of the tank is 6 feet, how fast is the surface rising?
3. One end of a ladder 34 feet long slides down a vertical wall while the other end moves
away from the wall horizontally at a rate of 3 feet per second. How fast is the top of the
ladder descending when its foot is 16 feet from the wall?
4. A ladder 13 feet long leans against a vertical wall. If the top slides down at 3 feet per
second, how fast is the angle of elevation of the ladder decreasing, when the lower end
is 5 feet from the wall?
5. A balloon, 30 feet from an observer, leaves the ground and rises 8 feet per second. How
fast is the angle of elevation of the line of sight increasing after 5 seconds?
6. The base and the altitude of a right triangle are increasing at the rates of 2 and 4 feet
per second, respectively. If the base and the altitude are originally 10 feet and 6 feet,
respectively, find the rate of change of the base angle, if the angle measures 45 0.
7. A man 6 ft tall walks away from a lamp post 16 ft high at the rate of 5 miles per hour.
How fast does the end of his shadow move?
8. A light hangs 15 feet directly above a straight walk on which a man 6 feet tall is walking.
How fast is the end of the mans shadow traveling when he is walking away from the
light at a rate of 3 miles per hour?
9. A triangular gutter is 12 feet long, 3 feet wide at the top, and 3 feet deep. If water is
poured into the gutter at a rate of 10 cubic feet per minute, find how fast the surface is
rising when the depth is 2 feet.
10.The two bases of an isosceles trapezoid are 12 and 20 feet long, respectively. Find the
rate at which the area is changing when the equal sides are 5 feet long and are
increasing at the rate of 2 feet per minute.