Tutorial 2

The Intermediate Value Theorem (IVT):

Let f be a continuous function on the closed interval [a, b] such that f (a) 6= f (b).
Also, let N be any number between f (a) and f (b). Then there exists a number x0
in the open interval (a, b) such that f (x0 ) = N .
The Definition of Derivative (at a point):
There are several ways we can write down the definition of the derivative of a function
f at a point a. The following are equivalent:
f (x) f (a)
f (a + h) f (a)
= lim
xa
h0
h
xa

f 0 (a) = lim

where f 0 (a) is how we denote the derivative of f at the point a. We know this to
be the slope of the tangent line to the curve y = f (x) at the point (a, f (a)).
The Derivative as a function:
This notion is very similar to the definition described above. Only now, we allow the
point a to vary (or change). As in everything else in math, when we have a quantity
that can vary, we label it x. So, replacing a with the variable x, we get
f 0 (x) = lim

h0

f (x + h) f (x)
.
h

For any x where this limit exists, we associate the number x to the number f 0 (x).
So now, suppose we let D be the set


f (x + h) f (x)
D = x R : lim
exists
h0
h
(the set of all x where the limit above exists), then we can say f 0 : D R. That is,
f 0 associates all numbers in a domain D to numbers in R. This is what a function
does! So we can regard f 0 as a function of x.

Sketching the graph of f 0 from the graph of f :

Below are some steps to help you sketch f 0 from the graph of f .
1. Draw the axes for f 0 (x) versus x;
2. Look at the points x where f (x) has tangent lines with slope equal to 0, now
plot these on your graph;
3. Look at the end behaviour of f (x) and observe the sign AND magnitude of the
slopes of the tangent lines there. Plot these two estimated points on the graph
youve created;
4. Look at the pieces of f (x) between any two points you plotted in Steps 2 and 3.
If the slopes of the tangent lines to f are positive in this region, then we know
f 0 (x) will be ABOVE the x-axis on your graph. If the slopes of the tangent
lines to f are negative in this region, then we know f 0 (x) will be BELOW the
x-axis on your graph. The way you connect these points has to be estimated
by looking at how fast/slow f increases or decreases.
(See the FAQs link on my website for a concrete example and thorough explanation.)