Solving for Tangent and Normal Lines - George …
[Pages:4]Tangents and Normals
Equation of a Tangent Line
The derivative at a point x = a, denoted , is the instantaneous rate of change at that
point. Geometrically,
gives us the slope of the tangent line at the point x = a.
Recall: A tangent line is a line that "just touches" a curve at a specific point without intersecting it.
To find the equation of the tangent line we need its slope and a point on the line.
Given the function and the point
we can find the equation of the tangent
line using the slope equation.
Since
gives us the slope of the tangent line at the point x = a, we have
As such, the equation of the tangent line at x = a can be expressed as:
Equation of a Normal Line
The normal line is defined as the line that is perpendicular to the tangent line at the point of tangency. Knowing this, we can find the equation of the normal line at x = a by
Tutoring and Learning Centre, George Brown College 2014
georgebrown.ca/tlc
Tangents and Normals
taking the negative inverse of the slope of the tangent line equation.
Thus, if
is the slope of the tangent line at x = a. The negative inverse is
Normal line
As such, the equation of the normal line at x = a can be expressed as:
Example 1: Find the equation of the tangent and normal lines of the function
at the point (5, 3).
Solution:
a) Equation of the Tangent Line.
Step 1: Find the slope of the
function by solving for its first
derivative.
Tutoring and Learning Centre, George Brown College 2014
georgebrown.ca/tlc
Tangents and Normals
Step 2: Knowing , solve for
the slope of the tangent at
.
Step 3: Solve for .
Step 4: Substitute found values into the equation of a tangent line.
b) Equation of the Normal Line. Step 1: Find the slope of the normal line
Step 2: Given the equation of a tangent line, swap slopes.
Since
, then
Example 2: Find the equation of the tangent and normal lines of the function at the point (2, 27).
Solution:
a) Equation of the Tangent Line.
Step 1: Find the slope of the function by solving for its first derivative.
Step 2: Knowing , solve for
the slope of the tangent at
.
Step 3: Solve for .
Step 4: Substitute found values into the equation of a tangent line.
Tutoring and Learning Centre, George Brown College 2014
georgebrown.ca/tlc
Tangents and Normals
b) Equation of the Normal Line. Step 1: Find the slope of the normal line
Step 2: Given the equation of a tangent line, swap slopes.
Since
, then
Exercises: 1. Find the equation for the normal and tangent lines for f(x) at the specified points.
a) f(x) = b) f(x) = c) f(x) = d) f(x) = e) f(x) =
at (0,1) at (1,6)
at (-1,1) at (0,0)
at (0, 0)
Solutions:
1. a) Tangent: b) Tangent:
c) Tangent: d) Tangent: e) Tangent:
, Normal: , Normal:
, Normal: , Normal: , Normal:
Tutoring and Learning Centre, George Brown College 2014
georgebrown.ca/tlc
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- find vertical tangent lines wvu mathematics
- tangent lines to a circle
- solving for tangent and normal lines george
- how to find the equation of tangent line at a given point
- tangent lines and rates of change
- for 1 2 find the derivative of the function
- calculus 1 lecture notes section 2 1
- ap calculus assignments derivative techniques
- mat 271 arizona state university
- calculus 1 lecture notes section 3 1
Related searches
- tangent and inverse tangent
- tangent and normal line calculator
- circle tangent and secant calculator
- tangent and secant
- solving linear equations and inequalities
- solving compound inequalities and graphing
- tangent plane and normal line calculator
- formula for tangent line
- math problem solving iep goals and objectives
- horizontal and vertical lines worksheet
- horizontal and vertical lines examples
- normal weight for age and height