Problem 1.1.

12
Find the equation of the line: ( 12 , 1) and (1, 2) on line.

2−1
Solution: The slope is 1− 12
= 2. The equation of the line is y − 2 = 2(x − 1)
or y = 2x.

Problem 1.1.24
Find the equation of the line: parallel to y − x = 13; y-intercept is − 12 .

Solution: The slope is 1. So y = x − 12 .

Problem 1.1.36
How many units must you move in the y-direction is you start on a line of
slope .2 and move 5 units in the x-direction?

Solution: You must move (.2)(5) = 1 unit in the y direction.

Problem 1.1.52
A restaurant paying 5.75 had a quit ratio of .2. When the pay was raised to
6, the quit ratio was .18.

a) Assuming a linear relationship between wagex and Q(x) the quit ratio,
find Q(x).

Solution: The change in quit ratio over the change in wage is − .02
.25
= −.08.
So Q(x) − .18 = −.08(x − 6) or Q(x) = −.08x + .66.

b) When is Q(x) = .1?

Solution Q(x) = −0.8x + .66 = .1 ⇒ −0.8x = −.56. So x = 7.

Problem 1.1.68
Prove Slope Property 5 of straight lines.

Solution: Consider the picture in the book. We have two perpendicular

lines l1 and l2 intersecting at the origin with slopes m1 > m2 respectively.
By slope property 1, we know that along the x = 1 line, the distance from

1
l1 to the x-axis is m1 and the distance from l2 to the x-axis is m2 . So the
picture is correct.

The triangle bounded by the x-axis, the x = 1 line, and l1 is right, and
so by Pythagoras’ Theorem a2 = 1 + m21 . Similarly, we have b2 = 1 + m22
for the bottom right triangle. The last right triangle is the one formed by
x = 1, l1 and l2 , and the Pythagorean relationship is a2 + b2 = (m1 − m2 )2 .
Substituting into the last equation the other two equations, we have

1 + m21 + 1 + m22 = (m1 − m2 )2 = m21 − 2m1 m2 + m22

Simplifying, we get m1 m2 = −1.

Problem 1.2.22
Find the slope of the tangent line to the curve y = x2 at the point where
x = − 12 .

Solution: The slope at x is 2x, thus the slope of the tangent line at x = − 12
is -1.

Problem 1.2.28
Find the point on the graph of y = x2 where the tangent line is parallel to
the line 3x − y = 2.

Solution: The slope of that line is 3, so we must find the point on the curve
whose slope is 3 as well. Since the slope at x of the curve x2 is 2x, thus at
( 32 , 49 ) the tangent line is parallel to the given line.

Problem 1.2.30
Find the slope of the curve y = x3 at the point ( 23 , 27
8
).

3 27
Solution: We simply plug 2
into 3x2 and get 4
as our answer.

Problem 1.2.36
Find a, f (a), and the slope of the curve at (a, f (a)).

Solution: (a, f (a)) lies at the intersection of the two lines y = 2 − x and

2
y = − 15 x + 65 . Substituting for y, we have the following equation
1 6
2−x=− x+
5 5
Collecting like terms, we deduce that x = 1. Thus a = 1. Now f (a) =
2 − a = 1. The slope of the curve at that point is simply the slope of the
tangent line, which is the line y = 2 − x. Since this line has slope −1, we
know that the slope of the curve at (a, f (a)) is -1 as well.
3
Problem Use the Power Rule to find the derivative of (x− 5 )2 .
3 6
Solution: Using the exponent rule we know that (x− 5 )2 = x− 5 . Now ap-
11
plying the Power Rule, the derivative is − 56 x− 5 .

Problem Let L be the tangent line to the curve f (x) = x4 − 6 at (2, 10).
Let P be the line perpendicular to L and also passing through (2, 10). Find
the equation for P .

Solution: An application of the Power Rule gives us f 0 (x) = 4x3 . Thus at 2,

the derivative is 32. So the slope of L is 32. This implies that the slope of
1 1 1 1
P is − 32 . Thus the equation for P is y −10 = − 32 (x−2) or y = − 32 x+10 16 .

Problem 1.3.6
Find The derivative of f (x) = √1 .
x

1 3
Solution: √1
x
= x− 2 . So by the Power Rule f 0 (x) = − 12 x− 2 = − 2x1√x .

Problem 1.3.30
If f (x) = x12 , find f (5) and f 0 (5).

−2
Solution: Using the Power Rule, we get that f 0 (x) = x3
. So f (5) = 1
25
−2
and f 0 (5) = 125 .

Problem 1.3.44
The line y = ax+b is tangent to y = x3 at the point (−3, −27). Find a and b.

Solution: The derivative of x3 is 3x2 . Thus at x = −3 the slope of the

tangent line is 27. So the equation of the tangent line is y + 27 = 27(x + 3)

3
or y = 27x + 54. Therefore a = 27 and b = 54.

Problem 1.3.54
dy
dx
if y = x−4
dy
Solution: dx
= −4x−5 .

Problem 1.3.62
Estimate f 0 (1).

Solution: Evaluating the slopes of the chords from (1, .8) to the the other
points, we get the following values:
1.4 − .8 1.3 − .8 1.1 − .8
= 1, = 1.25, = 1.5
1.6 − 1 1.4 − 1 1.2 − 1
This sequence of numbers is increasing, and one would guess that f 0 (1) > 1.5,
say for example 1.75.

Problem 1.3.68 √
Compute the difference quotient when f (x) = x3 − 2x2 + 5.

Solution:
√ √
f (x + h) − f (x) (x + h)3 − 2(x + h)2 + 5 − x3 + 2x2 − 5
=
h h
x3 + 3x2 h + 3xh2 + 3h3 − 2x2 − 4xh − 2h2 − x3 + 2x2
=
h
= 3x + 3xh + 3h2 − 4x − 2h
2

Problem 1.3.76
Apply the three step method to compute the derivative of f (x) = 2x2 + x.

Solution:
Step 1.
f (x + h) − f (x) 2(x + h)2 + x + h − 2x2 − x
=
h h
4
 2x2 + 4xh + 2h2 + x + h − 2x2 − x
= = 4x + 2h + 1
h
Step 2.
Letting h → 0, this expression becomes 4x + 1.

Step 3.
Thus the derivative f 0 (x) = 4x + 1.

Problem 1.3.88
Show that
d d
f (x) = (f (x) + c)
dx dx

Solution: If one were to solve it pictorially, simply draw a differentiable

function f , and then pick a c and draw out f + c on the same plane. Then
select a point on f and draw the tangent line. Then select the point on f + c
directly above or below the previous point and draw its tangent line as well.
You will notice that these two lines are parallel, telling us that f and f + c
have the same slope at all x.

To solve it algebraically, simply note the following:

f (x + h) − f (x) f (x + h) + c − (f (x) + c)
=
h h
Thus their difference quotients are the same, and so therefore their derivatives
are the same as well.