Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 8 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
Find the limit L = limx→∞ (√(x2 − 6x) − x).
Find the limit L = limx→0 (1 − cos 2x)/(2x²), with x in radians.
Let f(x) = x·e0.5x. Find f′(1).
Let f(x) = x3 − 12x2 + 45x + 2. Find the x-coordinate x of the local maximum.
A rectangular plot of 1200 m² is fenced on all four sides. The side along the street, of length x, costs €25 per metre; the other three sides cost €10 per metre. Find the length x of the street side that minimises the cost.
A small firm sells its product at a fixed market price of €40 per unit. Producing q units costs C(q) = 100 + 28q + 0.1q² euros. Find the output q that maximises profit.
The region under y = 2x from x = 0 to x = 2 is rotated about the x-axis. Find the volume V of the solid (a cone).
Evaluate I = ∫₀2 x²·eˣ dx.
Answer: L = −3
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: L = 1
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′(1) = 2.473
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 − 24: negative at a maximum, positive at a minimum.
Answer: x = 26.19 m
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) = 48000/x³ > 0, so this is a minimum.
Answer: q = 60 units
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) = −0.2 < 0, so this is a maximum.
Answer: V = 33.51
Volumes of revolution: rotating the region under y = f(x) from x = a to x = b about the x-axis makes a solid whose cross-section at x is a disc of radius f(x). Adding the discs gives V = π∫ₐᵇ f(x)² dx. When the region lies between an outer curve R(x) and an inner curve r(x), each slice is a washer: V = π∫ₐᵇ (R(x)² − r(x)²) dx. Square the radii before you subtract them.
Check: a cone of radius 4 and height 2 has (1/3)πr²h = 33.51.
Answer: I = 12.78
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.
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