Q. For the function f(x)=−6x2+9x+2, find the slope of the tangent line at x=2.Answer:
Calculate Derivative: To find the slope of the tangent line at a specific point on the graph of a function, we need to calculate the derivative of the function at that point. The derivative of a function at a point gives us the slope of the tangent line to the function at that point.
Apply Power Rule: The function given is f(x)=−6x2+9x+2. We will find the derivative of this function, f′(x), using the power rule. The power rule states that the derivative of xn is n⋅x(n−1).
Evaluate Derivative: Applying the power rule to each term of the function:The derivative of −6x2 is −12x (since the exponent is 2, we multiply by 2 and subtract 1 from the exponent).The derivative of 9x is 9 (since the exponent is 1, the derivative is just the coefficient).The derivative of the constant 2 is 0 (since the derivative of any constant is 0).So, −12x1.
Find Slope: Now we need to evaluate the derivative at x=2 to find the slope of the tangent line at that point.f′(2)=−12(2)+9=−24+9=−15.
Find Slope: Now we need to evaluate the derivative at x=2 to find the slope of the tangent line at that point.f′(2)=−12(2)+9=−24+9=−15.The slope of the tangent line to the function at x=2 is −15.
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