Tangent Definition and 1000 Threads

  1. P

    Implicit Differentiation - Tangent Line & Horizontal Tangents

    Homework Statement Find an equation of the tangent line to this curve at the point (1, -2). Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution 2y' = 3x^2+6x y' = 3x^2+6x y'=3/2x^2+3x y+2=3(x-1) y+2=3x-3 y=3x-5
  2. P

    Equation of Tangent: y = -7x + 5 @ (1,1)

    Determine the equation 1 the tangent to the given function, at the given point. y = (3x^-2 - 2x^3) , @ (1,1)
  3. P

    Determine Point of Tangency & Value of "b" for y=8x+b

    The line y = 8x + b is tangent to the curve y = 2x^2. Determine the point of tangency and the value of "b"
  4. J

    Curvature in terms of the tangent vector

    My teacher wrote an alternative equation on the board for curvature, and I am wondering how it is true: k = | dT/dt / |dR/dt| | where T is the unit tangent vector. I know k = |R' x R''| / |R'|^3 = |dT/ds| but I am not sure about the formula in question. How is it true/derived?
  5. L

    Slope of Tangent Line for g(x)=x^2-4 at (1,-3) | Calculus Homework Solution

    Homework Statement find the slope of the tangent line whose g(x)=x^2-4 at point (1,-3) Homework Equations lim f(x+Δχ) -F(c)/ (Δχ) The Attempt at a Solution g(x)= x^2-4 G(1+Δχ)= (1+Δχ)^2-4 ==> Δχ^2+2Δχ-3 lim (Δχ^2+2Δχ-3) - (-3)/(Δχ) = 0 but in the book the answer is 2 so what...
  6. N

    Tangent plane approximation via parametric equations

    Hi everyone, I'm an 18-year-old from Germany and I'm making use of MIT's OpenCourseWare programme. Currently, I'm watching the Calculus II course, and am having some trouble understanding how to find the equation: z=z0 + a(x-x0) + b(y-y0) by using parametric equations/vectors. a and b being...
  7. M

    The function f(x) = e^3x +6x^2 +1 has a horizontal tangent at x =?

    Homework Statement i can't solve it! im really lost. i know you find f''(x) (i got 9e^3x +12) but i don't know where to go from there what would i do on my calculator?
  8. A

    How do I find tangent lines passing through a given point on a graph?

    Homework Statement A) Find all points on the graph of f(x)=x^2 with tangent lines passing through the point (5,0). B) Show that no line tangent to g(x)=1/x passes through the origin. These are problems from a lab problem solving assignment. Homework Equations y=mx+b f`(x) =...
  9. E

    Tangent Plane Equation for Surface x^2 + y^2 - xyz = 1 at Point (2,3,2)

    Homework Statement Find the equation of the tangent plane at (2,3,2) to the surface below. x^2 + y^2 - xyz = 1 The question asks me to do this in two way, one is to view the surface as the graph of a function of two variables z = g(x,y). and the other one is to view the surface as a...
  10. I

    Here's a theorem about the tangent function

    [b]1. Here's a theorem about the tangent function. tan(x) = c iff 1: x = tan^-1*c or 2: x = tan^-1*c+n(180) for some integer n. Find a solution to tan x = 1 between 270 and 450 degrees. [b]2. [b]3. I am not really sure how to go about starting this problem. I have only two...
  11. A

    I (I must find the equation of the sphere that is tangent to 2 planes.

    Homework Statement My professor gave us 4 points A(2,3,-5) B(-2,5,1) C(9,0,4) D(3,-5,8) So I must find an equation of the sphere that is tangent to 2 planes. These 2 planes are 18x + 39y - z= 158 18 x + 39y -z = -149 Homework Equations equation of sphere C(h,k,l) (x-h)^2 + (y-k)^2...
  12. J

    Equation of Tangent to the Line

    3.) Give the equation of the line tangent to the curve at the given point. a.) (y)(tan^-1 x) = x*y at (sqrt(3),0) b.) ln y = x^2 +(2)*e^x at (0, e^2) Please help me with this problem, I am stuck. Here is some of my work process: i have no idea how to solve for y in...
  13. C

    Parameterized tangent line to a parameterized curve

    Homework Statement I seem to remember that a parameterized a(t) curve in \mathbb{R}^3 that one can construct the tangent from the slope of a'(t) and the curve itself. such that the tangent line L = a(t) + s * a'(t) to a. This is supposedly a straight line in \mathbb{R}^3. To make a...
  14. P

    If the tangent line to y = f (x) at (9,7) passes through the point (0,6)

    Homework Statement If the tangent line to y = f (x) at (9,7) passes through the point (0,6), find the following. (a) f (9) (b) f ' (9) Homework Equations f '(x) = f(x+h) - f(x)/h ? The Attempt at a Solution I really have no idea how to even begin going about this one, so a...
  15. P

    (a) Find the slope of the tangent to the curve at the point where x = a.

    Homework Statement Consider the following curve. y = 4 + 4x2 - 2x3. (a) Find the slope of the tangent to the curve at the point where x = a. Homework Equations m=y(a+h) - y(a)/h The Attempt at a Solution 1. m=y(a+h) - y(a)/h = -a^3-a^2+3ah+h^2-4 2. 6a^2 3. -6a^2+8a I know the derivative is...
  16. M

    I think linear approximation? (square root, tangent, e^x)

    Homework Statement the value of f(x) = (sqrrt e^x +3) at x=0.08 obtained from the tangent to the graph at x=0 is...? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution i used linear approximation. (sqrrt e^o +3) + (1/2(sqrrt3+e^0)(0.08) i got an answer but i know its wrong. i...
  17. D

    Equation of a tangent line given x

    I am having a time trying to figure out this problem given only an x value. The equation is "Find the equation of the tangent line to y= Square root of x^4-2337 ...at x=7. If anybody could help me solve this it would be a great help. Thanks
  18. J

    Tangent lines and areas between curves.

    I have a function: y=e^x the tangent line at the point (1,e) would be x*e? in order to find the area between the tangent line, the y-axis and y=e^x i equate these functions and solve for x? I got this far (e^x)/(x)=e how do i solve for x
  19. P

    Graphing Tangents to a Quadratic Curve

    Homework Statement Find an equation for the tangent to the curve at the given point. Then sketch the curve and tangent together Homework Equations y=3-x^2 (-1,2) The Attempt at a Solution slope = f(x + h) + f(x) / h f(-1 + h) + 2 / h 3- (-x + h)^2 + 2 / h 3 - 1 + 2h + H^2 + 2...
  20. A

    An Unknown Conic and Equation of Tangent Line HELP

    An Unknown Conic and Equation of Tangent Line **HELP** Homework Statement (a) Find the positive y-coordinate of the point on the conic whose x-coordinate is 27cos\theta, where 0<\theta<\pi/2 (b) The slope of the tangent line to the conic through the point (27cos\theta, y1) is -1/27cot\theta...
  21. G

    Finding the eq. of all tangent lines on a curve

    Homework Statement Problem: Find the equations of all tangent lines to the curve y = x + 2x so that also go through the point (3, 14). 2. Do not use a derivitive 3. I don't even know where to start. I searched my book there isn't really available. Any help would be much appreciated
  22. S

    Finding the Vertical Tangent Line of x3 + xy - y2 = 10 Curve

    The curve defined by x3 +xy - y2 = 10 has a vertical tangent line when x = ? To find when the tangent line is vertical, could I find when the slope is undefined for the original function? The way I previously tried this problem was by taking the first derivative and then finding when x = 0...
  23. H

    What are the remaining steps to complete this problem?

    Homework Statement Given the function y = x^{2} + 3x - 4 find, a) the equation of tangent + normal at x = -2. b)the equation of the tangent that has slope of -2. c)local min and max. d)the equations of the tangent from the point (2 , -4) to the curve. e) area enclosed by the tangent at...
  24. B

    How to Solve for x or y in a Horizontal Tangent Problem?

    Homework Statement 4x - 2xy = 0 how do i solve for EITHER x or y? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution i got y = 2 at first but when i plugged it into the original equation to find x it was impossible to get an answer (the x's canceled out)
  25. C

    Understanding Second Order PDEs: Explaining the Unit Tangent to a Curve

    Hi In my lecturer's notes he describes the unit tangent to a curve y=Y(X) as (i + Y'(X)j)/[(1+[Y'(X)]^2)^(0.5)] in an introduction to second order PDEs I'm a bit confused by this. Where did it come from? Can anyone explain Thanks
  26. C

    Understanding Unit Tangent to a Curve in PDEs

    Hi In my lecturer's notes he describes the unit tangent to a curve y=Y(X) as (i + Y'(X)j)/[(1+[Y'(X)]^2)^(0.5)] in an introduction to second order PDEs I'm a bit confused by this. Where did it come from? Can anyone explain Thanks
  27. G

    Basis for tangent space and cotangent space

    Hello, I'm trying (somewhat haphazardly) to teach myself about differential forms. A question I have which is confusing me at the moment is about the tangent and cotangent spaces. In https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=2953" the basis for the tangent space was described in terms of...
  28. M

    Find the equation of the tangent line

    Homework Statement Find the equation of the tangent line to the curve 3xy = x^3 + y^3 at point (2/3,4/3) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I found the deriviative to be 3x^2-3y / 3x - 3y^2 which i simplified to x^2 - y / x - y^2 I found the slope of at those...
  29. M

    Finding the slope of the tangent

    Homework Statement Find the slope(s) of the tangent at x = 1 for 2y^2 - xy -x^2 = 0 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Ive figured the derivative to be 2x+4/4y+x But I don't know how to make this equation work to find a y value so I can find the slope. I tried...
  30. F

    Trigonometric functions - angular measures and tangent curves

    I encountered a few problems for a few questions while doing my homework. 1. Angular measure problem: A Ferris wheel with a radius of 25.3m makes 2 rotations every minute. a) Find the average angular speed of the Ferris wheel in radians per second. b) How far does a rider travel if the ride...
  31. M

    Finding the point on the graph where the tangent is parallel

    Homework Statement Find the point on the graph y = sqrt 2x-1 where the tangent line is parallel to x - 3y = 16 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution So what I started off was was trying to find the slope of x - 3y = 16. I rearranged the equation to a y = equation and...
  32. J

    Find the tangent line between two surfaces

    Homework Statement Let C be the intersection of the two surfaces: S1: x^2 + 4y^2 + z^2 = 6; s2: z = x^2 + 2y; Show that the point (1, -1, -1) is on the curve C and find the tangent line to the curve C at the point (1, -1, -1). Homework Equations partial derivates, maybe the gradient...
  33. K

    Equation for Tangent Line to Inverse Function at (3,1) of f(x)=x^3+2x^2-x+1

    Homework Statement Find an equation for the line tangent to to the graph of f^-1 at the pt (3,1) if f(x)=x^3+2x^2-x+1 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I used the Inverse Function Thm 1/(3x^2+4x) Now do I plug in 3 to this to find slope? 1/21 y-1=1/21(x-3)...
  34. G

    Finding parametric equations of a tangent line

    Homework Statement Find parametric equations of the tangent line at the point (-2,2,4) to the curve of intersection of the surface z=2x2-y2 and the plane z=4 Homework Equations Not sure The Attempt at a Solution Not sure quite how to approach this. take the gradient of...
  35. G

    Finding the equation of the tangent plane

    Homework Statement Find the equations of the tangent plane and the normal line to the given surface at the specified point. xy+yz+zx=3 @ (1,1,1) Homework Equations z-z0=fx(x0,y0)(x-x0) + fy(x0,y0)(y-y0) The Attempt at a Solution I feel like this should be really easy, but I'm...
  36. M

    Finding the derivative of the function and the slope of the tangent

    Homework Statement Find the slope of the tangent to y=3x2 - 6x at x = 2 by first determining the derivative of the function from first principles Homework Equations f(x+h)-f(x) / h The Attempt at a Solution For the derivative I got -6x and the slope of the tangent is -12...
  37. M

    Differentiation of Unit Tangent

    So we are given T(t) = c'(t)/||c'(t)|| as well as ||T|| = 1 We also know T(t)dotT(t) = 1 and T'(t)dotT(t) = 0 The problem asks us to find T'(t) I tried differentiating c'(t)/||c'(t)|| treating ||c'(t)|| as the square root of the dot product of c'(t) with itself. I used the product...
  38. W

    Parallel Tangent Planes on a Given Surface

    Homework Statement A surface is given by the equation 2x2+y2-z2=64 Find all points p on the surface where the tangent plane is parallel to the plane 12x+y-3z=0. Homework Equations I know the equation of a plane tangent to a surface at point (x0,y0,z0) is given by the equation...
  39. L

    Tangent to an Ellipse given the slope of the tangent

    Homework Statement Determine the points on the ellipse x^2 a 2y^2=1 where the tangent line has a slope of 1 Homework Equations I'm able to solve problems when given points and asked to find equations of the tangent lines. However, I'm struggling to do the inverse. The Attempt at a Solution...
  40. 1

    Find an equation of the tangent line

    Homework Statement Find an Equation of the tangent line to the curve y=10^x at the point (1,10) Homework Equations Derivative y=mx+b The Attempt at a Solution I am totally lost I don't know what to do with 10^x Please help me this will save me failing the class
  41. gabbagabbahey

    Explicitly summing a series involving hyperbolic tangent

    I recently came across a problem where I was able to show that \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^n}{n} \tanh \left( \frac{n \pi}{2} \right)=\frac{\ln 2- \pi}{4} through numerical approximation...However, I don't have much practice evaluating such summations analytically, and I was wondering if...
  42. S

    Finding tangent lines to an ellipse that pass through a given point

    Homework Statement Find the equations of all the tangent lines to x^2 + 4y^2 = 36 that pass through the point (12,3) Homework Equations the derivative of the ellipse is dy/dx = -2x/8y (I'm not sure if that is correct, i have only recently learned implicit differentiation.) The...
  43. W

    Unit Tangent for a Curve: Finding T(t) using the Product Rule

    Homework Statement r(t) = 〈sin(t) − t cos(t), cos(t) +t sin(t), 5 t2 + 7 〉 Find the unit tangent. T(t)= The Attempt at a Solution r'(t) = <cos(t) + tsin(t), -sin(t) + tcos(t), 10t> T(t) = r'(t)/ |r'(t)| |r(t)| = sqrt( 1 + 101t^2) And so on. Supposably according to the...
  44. pellman

    Simple question about definition of tangent bundle

    So I'm trying to learn about fibre bundles and I am looking at the example of a tangent bundle. Given a differentiable manifold M. Denote the tangent space at p \in M by T_p M. Is the definition of the tangent bundle TM = \lbrace (p, T_p M)|p \in M \rbrace or is it TM = \lbrace...
  45. J

    Tangent to a curve and normal to the surface

    Hi i have a very basic question in calculus. i know that the tangent to the curve y=f(x) is denoted by dy/dx which makes sense to me geometrically. But normal to a surface k(x1,x2,x3) is Grad k. how is this? it doesn't make sense to me geometrically. can anyone throw more light upon this please
  46. M

    Points where tangent line touches 2 circles

    Homework Statement On the circles y^2+x^2=1 and y^2+(x-3)^2=4 There is a line with positive slope that is tangent to both circles. Determine the points at which this tangent touches each circle. Homework Equations the derivative of the first circle i found: y'=-x/y the derivative of...
  47. S

    Create tangent to a 2D spline curve in Pro/E

    How can I create a line tangent to a spline curve interpolated with several points in 2D in pro/engineer wildfire2.
  48. A

    Quick Tangent Line Approximation (Derivatives)

    Homework Statement The tangent line through given points (pi/4,pi/4) m=1 y= cos(y)cos(x)/sin(x)sin(y) The Attempt at a Solution dy/dx= d/dx[cos(y)cos(x)/sin(x)sin(y)] First use quotient rule ? vu'-uv'/v^2 v= sin(x)sin(y) v'= do i need to use product rule? for product rule...
  49. I

    The line tangent to a curve, no derivative

    Homework Statement Let (x0,y0) be a point on the graph f(x) = x2 for x0 not equal to 0. Find the equation of the line tangent to the graph of f at that point by finding a line that intersects the cure in exactly one point. Do not use the derivative to find this line.Homework Equations f(x) =...
  50. mbisCool

    Finding Tangent Line to a Curve at a Given Point

    Homework Statement For what values of a and b is the line 3x+y=b tangent to the curve y=ax^3 when x=5 ? The Attempt at a Solution I believe i would need to find the equation of the tangent to y=ax^3 when x=5 then that should be equal to -3x+b=y if I am not mistaken but I am not sure...
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