CLASS NOTES/ Applications of

GUIDE PRACTICE Integration

8

CHA AP CALCULUS BC INDY HIGH SCHOOL MR. AVALOS

Topic: 8.1 Finding the Average Value of a Function Day: 33

1 on an Interval

Learning Objective CHA-4.B: Determine the average value of a function using definite integrals.

The Mean Value Theorem for Integrals

If is continuous on the closed interval, then there exists a number c in the closed interval
such that

Visual Demonstration of the MVT for Integrals

1 A value c exists between x = 0 and x = 4 such that
The graph of f ( x) = − x 2 + 8 is shown below.
2 f (c)  (b − a) equals the area under the curve f (x).
The area under f (x), above the x-axis, and between Note the value of c  2.3 and f (2.3)  5.3 .
x = 0 and x = 4 is calculated to be approximately
21.3.

A vitally important byproduct of the MVT for Integrals is what we obtain when we solve for f (c).
This result is outlined on the next page.
1
The Average Value of a Function

If f (x) is integrable on the closed interval  a , b  , then the average value of f (x) on that interval is
b
1
b − a a
f (x) dx

Example 1: Average Value of a Function (We Do)

Let f ( x) = 12 xe− x

a. Find the average value of f (x) on the interval  2,5.

b. Find c such that the average value of f (x) is equal to f (c).

Example 2: Average Value of a Function (You Do)

a. Find the average value of f ( x) = 3x2 − 2 x on the interval 1, 4  .

b. Find the value(s) of c guaranteed by the Mean Value Theorem for Integrals for the above
function on its given interval.

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2
Example 3: Got Milk?
The cows on a small dairy farm in northern Indiana are milked in the
morning during a two-hour period. Milk from the cows is pumped
into a storage tank and the volume of milk in the tank at time t is
modeled by a strictly increasing, twice-differentiable function, M, where M(t)
is measured in gallons and t is measured in minutes. At time t = 0 there are
300 gallons of milk in the storage tank. Values of M(t) at selected times t are
given in the table.

t (minutes) 0 20 50 90 120
M(t) (gallons) 300 780 1640 3360 4250

a. Estimate M (70) . Indicate the units of measure and explain the meaning of your answer in the
context of this problem.

120
b. Use the data in the table to evaluate  M (t ) dt .
0
Using correct units, interpret the meaning of
120

 M (t ) dt in the context of the problem.

0

c. Use a right Riemann sum with four subintervals indicated by the data in the table to approximate
120
1
120 0
M (t ) dt . Explain the meaning of this expression in the context of this problem. Does this
120
1
approximation overestimate or underestimate the exact value of
120  M (t ) dt ?
0
Explain your

reasoning.

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Opening 8.2 Example 1
Example 3 Activity for
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