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Math Coach Amy
Amy Ferguson Moncure

Calculus BC ยท Unit 5

Graphs of a Function and Its Derivatives

Read increase, decrease, concavity, and local extrema from the graph of f'.

Jump to section:

\(f'\) positive: f increasing

where f' is increasing, f is concave up

What to Remember

The graph in front of you may be f'

Zeros of the drawn graph are critical points of \(f\). Where the drawn graph is positive, \(f\) is increasing. Where it is negative, \(f\) is decreasing.

A sign change of f' is a turn of f

If \(f'\) changes from positive to negative, \(f\) has a local maximum. Negative to positive is a local minimum.

Slope of the f' graph is the concavity of f

Where \(f'\) is increasing, \(f\) is concave up. Where \(f'\) is decreasing, \(f\) is concave down. A change in that direction is an inflection point of \(f\).

A high point of f' is not a high point of f

A peak of \(f'\) with \(f' \neq 0\) is an inflection of \(f\), not a local extremum of \(f\).

Level 1

Easy

The graph is f'. Read where f increases and where it turns.

Example
The graph of \(f'\) is shown. The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). On which interval is \(f\) increasing?

Graph of f'

\(f\) increases where \(f' > 0\).

The graph is above the axis between the zeros \(x = -1\) and \(x = 3\).

Answer: \((-1, 3)\)

1
Use the graph of \(f'\). The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). Where does \(f\) have a local maximum?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

At \(x = 3\), \(f'\) changes from positive to negative.

Answer: \(x = 3\)

2
Use the graph of \(f'\). The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). Where does \(f\) have a local minimum?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

At \(x = -1\), \(f'\) changes from negative to positive.

Answer: \(x = -1\)

3
Use the graph of \(f'\). The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). Is \(f\) increasing or decreasing at \(x = 1\)?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

The graph passes through \((1, 2)\), so \(f'(1) = 2 > 0\).

\(f\) is increasing at \(x = 1\).

Answer: increasing

4
The graph of \(f'\) is the line through \((0, -3)\) and \((4, 1)\), so \(f'(x) = x - 3\) on \([0, 4]\). Where is \(f\) decreasing?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

The line is below the axis on \((0, 3)\).

Answer: \((0, 3)\)

5
Use that same line. Where does \(f\) have a local extremum on \((0, 4)\)?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

\(f'\) changes from negative to positive at \(x = 3\).

Local minimum at \(x = 3\).

Answer: local min at \(x = 3\)

Level 2

Medium

Concavity comes from whether the f' graph is rising or falling.

Example
Use the piecewise linear graph of \(f'\). The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). The left piece has slope 1 and the right piece has slope \(-1\). Where is \(f\) concave up?

Graph of f'

\(f\) is concave up where \(f'\) is increasing.

\(f'\) increases on \((-3, 1)\).

Answer: \((-3, 1)\)

1
Use the same graph. Where does \(f\) have an inflection point?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

\(f'\) changes from increasing to decreasing at \(x = 1\).

That is an inflection point of \(f\).

\(f'(1) = 2 \neq 0\), so \(x = 1\) is not a local extremum of \(f\).

Answer: \(x = 1\)

2
Use the same graph. On which interval is \(f\) decreasing and concave down?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

Decreasing means \(f' < 0\). That happens on \((-3, -1)\) and \((3, 5)\).

Concave down means \(f'\) is decreasing, which is the right piece \((1, 5)\).

Both conditions hold on \((3, 5)\).

Answer: \((3, 5)\)

3
Use the line \(f'(x) = x - 3\) on \([0, 4]\). On which interval is \(f\) decreasing and concave up?

Graph of f'

Show Answer

The line is below the axis on \((0, 3)\), so \(f\) is decreasing there.

The line rises, so \(f'\) is increasing and \(f\) is concave up on \((0, 4)\).

Both hold on \((0, 3)\).

Answer: \((0, 3)\)

4
Use the piecewise linear graph of \(f'\). Which statement is true?

Graph of f'

A. \(f\) has a local maximum at \(x = 1\)
B. \(f\) has an inflection point at \(x = 1\)
C. \(f\) is decreasing on \((-1, 3)\)
D. \(f'(3) = 2\)
Show Answer

At \(x = 1\), \(f'\) changes from increasing to decreasing and \(f'(1) \neq 0\).

That is an inflection point of \(f\).

Answer: B. inflection at \(x = 1\)

5
A function satisfies \(f'(2) > 0\) and \(f''(2) < 0\). Which description matches the graph of \(f\) at \(x = 2\)?
Show Answer

\(f' > 0\) means increasing.

\(f'' < 0\) means concave down.

Answer: increasing and concave down

Level 3

Hard

A full reading of one graph, plus a table of f' and f''.

Example
Use the piecewise linear graph of \(f'\). The graph of \(f'\) is piecewise linear through \((-3,-2)\), \((1,2)\), and \((5,-2)\). List the x-values of the local extrema of \(f\) and the x-value of the inflection point.

Graph of f'

Local minimum of \(f\) at \(x = -1\), where \(f'\) changes from negative to positive.

Local maximum of \(f\) at \(x = 3\), where \(f'\) changes from positive to negative.

Inflection of \(f\) at \(x = 1\), where \(f'\) changes from increasing to decreasing.

Answer: local min \(x=-1\); local max \(x=3\); inflection \(x=1\)

1
Justify the local maximum of \(f\) at \(x = 3\) from the graph of \(f'\).

Graph of f'

Show Answer

\(f'(x) > 0\) on \((-1, 3)\) and \(f'(x) < 0\) on \((3, 5)\).

By the first derivative test, \(f\) has a local maximum at \(x = 3\).

Answer: local max at \(x = 3\)

2
The table describes a twice differentiable function. Classify each critical point.
\(x\)\(f'(x)\)\(f''(x)\)
105
20\(-4\)
500
Show Answer

At \(x = 1\), \(f' = 0\) and \(f'' > 0\): local minimum.

At \(x = 2\), \(f' = 0\) and \(f'' < 0\): local maximum.

At \(x = 5\), \(f'' = 0\), so the second derivative test is inconclusive.

Answer: local min at 1; local max at 2; inconclusive at 5

3
Using the same kind of table, \(f'(3) = 2\) and \(f''(3) = -1\). Describe \(f\) at \(x = 3\).
Show Answer

The derivative is positive, so \(f\) is increasing.

The second derivative is negative, so \(f\) is concave down.

Answer: increasing and concave down

4
Using the line graph of \(f'\), explain why \(f\) is concave up on the whole interval \((0, 4)\).

Graph of f'

Show Answer

The graph of \(f'\) is a line of slope 1.

\(f'\) is increasing on \((0, 4)\).

Therefore \(f\) is concave up on \((0, 4)\).

Answer: concave up on \((0, 4)\)

5
Which x-value is a local minimum of \(f\) for the piecewise linear \(f'\)?

Graph of f'

A. \(-1\)
B. \(1\)
C. \(3\)
D. \(5\)
Show Answer

Only at \(x = -1\) does \(f'\) change from negative to positive.

Answer: A. \(-1\)

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