Q. For the function f(x)=x2−4, find the slope of the tangent line at x=1.Answer:
Calculate Derivative: To find the slope of the tangent line at a specific point on a function, we need to calculate the derivative of the function. The derivative of a function at a point gives us the slope of the tangent line at that point.
Apply Power Rule: The function given is f(x)=x2−4. To find its derivative, we use the power rule, which states that the derivative of xn is n⋅x(n−1). Applying this rule to x2, we get 2⋅x(2−1)=2x. The derivative of a constant is 0, so the derivative of −4 is 0.
Evaluate at x=1: The derivative of f(x)=x2−4 is f′(x)=2x. Now we need to evaluate this derivative at x=1 to find the slope of the tangent line at that point.
Find Slope at x=1: Substitute x=1 into the derivative f′(x)=2x to find the slope at x=1. So, f′(1)=2×1=2.
Conclusion: The slope of the tangent line to the function f(x)=x2−4 at x=1 is 2.
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