Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 12 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
Find the limit L = limx→∞ (−5x3 − 3x + 5)/(4x3 + 2x + 3).
Find the limit L = limx→0 (e−x − 1 + x)/x².
Let f(x) = x·sin(3x), with x in radians. Find f′(0.5).
Let f(x) = x3 − 4.5x2 − 4. Find the x-coordinate x of the local minimum.
A rectangular plot of 450 m² is fenced on all four sides. The side along the street, of length x, costs €40 per metre; the other three sides cost €5 per metre. Find the minimum total cost C.
A company sells q units per week. The price at which it can sell them is p = 190 − 1q euros per unit, and the cost is C(q) = 1000 + 50q euros. Find the maximum weekly profit P.
Evaluate I = ∫02 e−0.5x dx.
Evaluate I = ∫₀1 x²·eˣ dx.
A forged steel part at 420 °C is left to cool in a workshop at 24 °C. After 46 min its temperature is 182 °C. It follows Newton's law of cooling, dT/dt = −k·(T − Tₐ). How long after the start, t, does it take to reach 277 °C?
A tank holds 400 L of water in which 20 kg of salt is dissolved. Brine with 0.1 kg of salt per litre flows in at 20 L/min, and the well-mixed solution flows out at the same rate. How much salt m is in the tank after 35 min?
Find the radius of convergence R of the power series Σk=1∞ (2k)!·(x + 2)ᵏ/(k!)².
f(x) = cos x is approximated at x = 0.5 by its Maclaurin polynomial of degree n. With the Lagrange bound M·|x|ⁿ⁺¹/(n + 1)! and M = 1, find the smallest degree n that guarantees an error below 1 × 10⁻⁶.
Answer: L = −1.25
Limits: first try direct substitution. If it gives 0/0, simplify first: factor and cancel the common factor, or multiply by the conjugate. As x → ∞, divide numerator and denominator by the highest power of x. L'Hôpital's rule: if f/g gives 0/0 or ∞/∞, then lim f/g = lim f′/g′, differentiating the numerator and the denominator separately (not with the quotient rule).
For equal degrees the limit is the ratio of the leading coefficients.
Answer: L = 0.5
Limits: first try direct substitution. If it gives 0/0, simplify first: factor and cancel the common factor, or multiply by the conjugate. As x → ∞, divide numerator and denominator by the highest power of x. L'Hôpital's rule: if f/g gives 0/0 or ∞/∞, then lim f/g = lim f′/g′, differentiating the numerator and the denominator separately (not with the quotient rule).
Answer: f′(0.5) = 1.104
Differentiation: the derivative f′(x) is the slope of the graph at x. Power rule: (xⁿ)′ = n·xⁿ⁻¹. Product rule: (uv)′ = u′v + uv′. Chain rule: (f(g(x)))′ = f′(g(x))·g′(x). Where f′(x) = 0 the graph has a horizontal tangent: a maximum, minimum or saddle point.
Answer: x = 3
Differentiation: the derivative f′(x) is the slope of the graph at x. Power rule: (xⁿ)′ = n·xⁿ⁻¹. Product rule: (uv)′ = u′v + uv′. Chain rule: (f(g(x)))′ = f′(g(x))·g′(x). Where f′(x) = 0 the graph has a horizontal tangent: a maximum, minimum or saddle point.
f″(x) = 6x − 9: negative at a maximum, positive at a minimum.
Answer: C = 900 €
Optimization: write the quantity to optimise as a function of one variable, using the constraint to eliminate the other. Set the derivative to zero and solve. Check that the critical point is a maximum or minimum (second derivative or sign change of the first derivative) and that it lies inside the allowed range; an endpoint such as a zero side length is not the answer.
C″(x) = 9000/x³ > 0, so this is a minimum.
Answer: P = 3900 €
Optimization: write the quantity to optimise as a function of one variable, using the constraint to eliminate the other. Set the derivative to zero and solve. Check that the critical point is a maximum or minimum (second derivative or sign change of the first derivative) and that it lies inside the allowed range; an endpoint such as a zero side length is not the answer.
P″(q) = −2 < 0, so this is a maximum.
Answer: I = 1.264
Definite integrals: ∫ₐᵇ f(x) dx is the signed area between the graph and the x-axis from a to b. Find an antiderivative F (with F′ = f) and evaluate F(b) − F(a). Power rule: ∫xⁿ dx = xⁿ⁺¹/(n + 1). The area between two curves is ∫(upper − lower) dx.
Answer: I = 0.7183
Integration by parts: ∫u·dv = u·v − ∫v·du, from the product rule. Choose u as the factor that gets simpler when you differentiate it (a power of x, or ln x), and dv as the factor you can integrate (eˣ, sin x, cos x, or x when u = ln x). For a definite integral, evaluate u·v at both limits: ∫ₐᵇ u dv = [u·v]ₐᵇ − ∫ₐᵇ v du. A factor x² needs two rounds.
Answer: t = 22.43 min
First-order differential equations: dy/dt = k·y has the solution y = y₀·ekt (growth for k > 0, decay for k < 0); a half-life T gives k = ln 2/T. Newton's law of cooling, dT/dt = −k·(T − Tₐ), gives T(t) = Tₐ + (T₀ − Tₐ)·e−kt. A linear equation y′ + p(x)·y = q(x) is solved with the integrating factor μ = e∫p dx: (μy)′ = μq, so μy = ∫μq dx + C.
Answer: m = 36.52 kg
First-order differential equations: dy/dt = k·y has the solution y = y₀·ekt (growth for k > 0, decay for k < 0); a half-life T gives k = ln 2/T. Newton's law of cooling, dT/dt = −k·(T − Tₐ), gives T(t) = Tₐ + (T₀ − Tₐ)·e−kt. A linear equation y′ + p(x)·y = q(x) is solved with the integrating factor μ = e∫p dx: (μy)′ = μq, so μy = ∫μq dx + C.
The integrating factor is ert/V; the solution approaches the equilibrium c·V.
Answer: R = 0.25
Convergence: if the terms do not tend to 0 the series diverges (n-th term test). Σ1/kᵖ converges only for p > 1, and Σrᵏ only for |r| < 1. Compare a series with one of these when its terms behave like them for large k. Ratio test: L = lim |ak+1/ak|; root test: L = lim |ak|1/k. L < 1 converges, L > 1 diverges, L = 1 decides nothing. A power series Σck(x − x₀)ᵏ converges for |x − x₀| < R with R = lim |ck/ck+1|; an alternating series with terms decreasing to 0 converges.
The ratio test says nothing at the two end points; they have to be checked separately.
Answer: n = 7
Taylor polynomials: near x = a a smooth function is approximated by Pₙ(x) = f(a) + f′(a)(x − a) + f″(a)(x − a)²/2! + … + f⁽ⁿ⁾(a)(x − a)ⁿ/n!; for a = 0 this is the Maclaurin polynomial. Standard series: eˣ = Σxᵏ/k!, sin x = x − x³/3! + x⁵/5! − …, cos x = 1 − x²/2! + x⁴/4! − …, ln(1 + x) = x − x²/2 + x³/3 − …, 1/(1 − x) = Σxᵏ. Lagrange error bound: |f(x) − Pₙ(x)| ≤ M·|x − a|ⁿ⁺¹/(n + 1)!, where M is the largest value of |f⁽ⁿ⁺¹⁾| between a and x.
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