typed by Sean Bird, Covenant Christian High School

updated August 15, 2009

Curve sketching and analysis

y = f(x) must be continuous at each:
dy
critical point:
= 0 or undefined
dx
and look out for endpoints
local minimum:
dy
d2y
goes (,0,+) or (,und,+) or 2 >0
dx
dx

local maximum:
dy
d y
goes (+,0,) or (+,und,) or 2 <0
dx
dx
2

point of inflection: concavity changes

d2y
goes from (+,0,), (,0,+),
dx 2
(+,und,), or (,und,+)

Basic Derivatives
d n
x nx n1
dx
d
sin x cos x
dx
d
cos x sin x
dx
d
tan x sec2 x
dx
d
cot x csc2 x
dx
d
sec x sec x tan x
dx
d
csc x csc x cot x
dx
d
1 du
ln u
dx
u dx
d u
du
e eu
dx
dx
where u is a function of x,
and a is a constant.

More Derivatives
d
u
1
du
sin 1
2
2 dx
dx
a
a u
d
1
cos 1 x
dx
1 x2

d
u
a
du
tan 1 2

2
dx
a
a u dx
d
1
cot 1 x
dx
1 x2
d
u
a
du
sec1

2
2
dx
a
u u a dx

d
1
csc 1 x
dx
x x2 1

d u x
du
u x
a
a ln a
dx
dx

AP CALCULUS
Stuff you MUST know Cold
Differentiation Rules
Chain Rule
d
du
dy dy du
f (u ) f '(u ) dx OR dx du dx
dx

* means topic only on BC

Approx. Methods for Integration
Trapezoidal Rule

f ( x)dx

d
du
dv
(uv)
vu
OR u ' v uv '
dx
dx
dx

2 f ( xn 1 ) f ( xn )]

f ( x)dx
1
3

x[ f ( x0 ) 4 f ( x1 ) 2 f ( x2 ) ...
2 f ( xn 2 ) 4 f ( xn 1 ) f ( xn )]

Quotient Rule
d u

dx v

v u
v2

dv
dx

OR

u ' v uv '
v2

PLUS A CONSTANT
The Fundamental Theorem of
Calculus

[ f ( x0 ) 2 f ( x1 ) ...

Simpsons Rule

Product Rule

du
dx

1 ba
2 n

f ( x)dx F (b) F (a )
where F '( x) f ( x)

Corollary to FTC
d b( x)
f (t )dt
dx a ( x )
f (b( x))b '( x) f ( a( x))a '( x)
Intermediate Value Theorem
If the function f(x) is continuous on [a, b],
and y is a number between f(a) and f(b),
then there exists at least one number x= c
in the open interval (a, b) such that
f (c ) y .

Theorem of the Mean Value

i.e. AVERAGE VALUE
If the function f(x) is continuous on [a, b]
and the first derivative exists on the
interval (a, b), then there exists a number
x = c on (a, b) such that

f (c )

(b a )
This value f(c) is the average value of the
function on the interval [a, b].

Solids of Revolution and friends

Disk Method
V

x b

x a

R( x)

dx

Washer Method
V

R ( x)

r ( x)

If the function f(x) is continuous on [a, b],

AND the first derivative exists on the
interval (a, b), then there is at least one
number x = c in (a, b) such that
f (b) f (a)
f '(c)
.
ba

If the function f(x) is continuous on [a, b],

AND the first derivative exists on the
interval (a, b), AND f(a) = f(b), then there
is at least one number x = c in (a, b) such
that
f '(c) 0 .

dx

V Area ( x) dx
a

*Arc Length L a 1 f '( x) dx

b

x '(t ) y '(t )
2

dt

Distance, Velocity, and Acceleration

d
(position)
dt
d
acceleration = dt (velocity)

velocity =

*velocity vector =

dx dy
,
dt dt

speed = v ( x ') 2 ( y ') 2 *

displacement =

Rolles Theorem

General volume equation (not rotated)

Mean Value Theorem

f ( x)dx

distance =

tf

v dt

final time

initial time v dt
tf

( x ') 2 ( y ') 2 dt *

average velocity =
final position initial position

total time
x
=
t

d
1
log a x
dx
x ln a

BC TOPICS and important TRIG identities and values

lHpitals Rule

f (a) 0

or ,
If
g (b) 0

f ( x)
f '( x)
lim
then lim
x a g ( x )
x a g '( x)

Eulers Method
dy
If given that dx f ( x, y ) and that
the solution passes through (xo, yo),
y ( xo ) yo
M
y ( xn ) y ( xn1 ) f ( xn1 , yn1 ) x
In other words:
xnew xold x
ynew yold

Slope of a Parametric equation

Given a x(t) and a y(t) the slope is
dy dy
dt
dx
dx dt
Polar Curve
For a polar curve r(), the
AREA inside a leaf is
2

The series ak converges if

k 0

Use IBP and let u = ln x (Recall

lim
k

u=LIPET)

ln x dx x ln x x C

Taylor Series
If the function f is smooth at x =
a, then it can be approximated by
the nth degree polynomial
f ( x ) f (a) f '( a)( x a )
f ''(a )

( x a)2 K
2!
f ( n ) (a)

( x a)n .
n!
Maclaurin Series
A Taylor Series about x = 0 is
called Maclaurin.
x 2 x3
e x 1 x K
2! 3!
2
x
x4
cos x 1 K
2! 4!
x3 x5
sin x x K
3! 5!

Integral of Log

dy dy / d

dx dx / d
d
d r sin
d
d r cos
Ratio Test

dy
x
dx xold , yold

udv uv vdu

where 1 and 2 are the first two times that r =

0.
The SLOPE of r() at a given is

Integration by Parts

1
2

ak 1
1
ak

If the limit equal 1, you know nothing.

Lagrange Error Bound

If Pn ( x) is the nth degree Taylor polynomial
( n 1)
(t ) M for all t
of f(x) about c and f

between x and c, then

f ( x) Pn ( x )

M
n 1
xc
n 1 !

Alternating Series Error Bound

N

If S N 1 an is the Nth partial sum of a

n

k 1

convergent alternating series, then

S S N aN 1
Geometric Series

Values of Trigonometric
Functions for Common Angles

sin
0
1
2

tan
0

2
2
3
2

cos
1
3
2
2
2
1
2

3
3
1
3

Know both the inverse trig and the trig

values. E.g. tan(/4)=1 & tan-1(1)= /4

Trig Identities
Double Argument
sin 2 x 2sin x cos x
cos 2 x cos 2 x sin 2 x 1 2sin 2 x
1
cos 2 x 1 cos 2 x
2
1
1 cos 2 x
2
Pythagorean
sin 2 x cos 2 x 1
(others are easily derivable by
dividing by sin2x or cos2x)
1 tan 2 x sec 2 x
sin 2 x

cot 2 x 1 csc 2 x
Reciprocal
1
sec x
or cos x sec x 1
cos x
1
csc x
or sin x csc x 1
sin x
Odd-Even
sin(x) = sin x (odd)
cos(x) = cos x
(even)
Some more handy INTEGRALS:

1
1 x x 2 x3 K
1 x
x 2 x3 x 4
ln( x 1) x K
2 3 4

a ar ar 2 ar 3 K ar n 1 K ar n 1
n 1

diverges if |r|1; converges to

a
if |r|<1
1 r

This is available at http://covenantchristian.org/bird/Smart/Calc1/StuffMUSTknowColdNew.htm

tan x dx ln sec x C
ln cos x C

sec x dx ln sec x tan x C