2.

Determine the following limits (if they exist):

y+1
y1
3h + h2
g) lim
h0
h
3
h 1
h) lim
h1 h 1

x 3
i) lim
x3
x3

3x2 4x
x2 3 x
x2 x 12
lim
x4
x4
1
lim 3x +
x2
3x
1
lim
x0 x
y1
lim
y1 y + 1

f) lim

a) lim
b)
c)
d)
e)

y1

3. More questions. Sign in at Everything Maths online and click Practise Maths.
Check answers online with the exercise code below or click on show me the answer.
1a. 28VH 1b. 28VJ
2a. 28VK 2b. 28VM 2c. 28VN 2d. 28VP
2e. 28VQ 2f. 28VR 2g. 28VS 2h. 28VT
2i. 28VV
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Gradient at a point

EMCH5

Average gradient
In Grade 11 we learnt that the average gradient between any two points on a curve
is given by the gradient of the straight line that passes through both points. We also
looked at the gradient at a single point on a curve and saw that it was the gradient of
the tangent to the curve at the given point. In this section we learn how to determine
the gradient of the tangent.
Let us consider finding the gradient of a tangent t to a curve with equation y = f (x)
at a given point P .
t
P
f (x)

We know how to calculate the average gradient between two points on a curve, but
we need two points. The problem now is that we only have one point, namely P . To
get around the problem we first consider a secant (a straight line that intersects a curve
at two or more points) to the curve that passes through point P (xP ; yP ) and another
point on the curve Q (xQ ; yQ ), where Q is an arbitrary distance from P .
We can determine the average gradient of the curve between the two points:
yQ yP
m=
xQ xP

Chapter 6. Differential calculus

211