Can't understand/solve Taylor exercises.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a Taylor series exercise involving the function \( f \) and its derivatives. Participants explore how to derive the equation of the tangent line given a function with a remainder term \( R3 \), and they analyze the implications of the Taylor expansion at a specific point.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested, Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express confusion about how to derive the function with the remainder term \( R3 \) present.
  • There is a recognition that \( R3 \) represents the remainder term for the third-order Taylor expansion, prompting questions about the general formula for Taylor expansion at \( x = -2 \).
  • Participants discuss the structure of the Taylor expansion and how it relates to the given function, noting the absence of explicit derivatives in the provided expression.
  • Some participants suggest that the derivatives can be inferred from the coefficients of the Taylor expansion, indicating that \( f'(-2) \) corresponds to the coefficient of \( (x+2) \).
  • Clarifications are made regarding the notation \( O((x+2)^2) \) and its implications for the remainder term.
  • One participant derives the tangent line equation as \( y = -2x + 1 \) based on their understanding of the function values and derivatives.
  • There is a correction regarding the calculation of \( f'''(-2) \), with differing values presented by participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the structure of the Taylor expansion and the relationship between the function and its derivatives. However, there are discrepancies in the calculations of \( f'''(-2) \) and some confusion remains regarding the role of the remainder term \( R3 \).

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the behavior of the remainder term and its relationship to the derivatives are not fully resolved. The discussion also highlights the potential for misinterpretation of the Taylor series coefficients.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students or individuals studying calculus, particularly those focusing on Taylor series and their applications in deriving functions and tangent lines.

Velo
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So, the information they give me is the following:
$(1) f \in {C}^{3}({\rm I\!R})$
$(2) f(x) = 5 -2(x+2) - (x+2)^2 + (x+2)^3 + R3(x+2)$
$(3) \lim_{{x}\to{-2}} \frac{R3(x+2)}{(x+2)^3}=0$

And they ask me for the equation of the tangent line... Which would be simple if that R3 wasn't there, I'd just derive the function, use it on the tangent line equation and that'd be that... I have no idea how the derive that function with the R3 there tho.

Edit: Typo in the exercise.
 
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Velo said:
So, the information they give me is the following:
$(1) f \in {C}^{3}({\rm I\!R})$
$(2) f(x) = 5 -2(x+2) - x(x+2)^2 + (x+2)^3 + R3(x+2)$
$(3) \lim_{{x}\to{-2}} \frac{R3(x+2)}{(x+2)^3}=0$

And they ask me for the equation of the tangent line... Which would be simple if that R3 wasn't there, I'd just derive the function, use it on the tangent line equation and that'd be that... I have no idea how the derive that function with the R3 there tho.

Hi Velo!

We can write the derivative of R3(x+2) at x=-2 as:
$$R3'(x+2) = R3'(0)= \lim_{h\to 0} \frac{R3(h) - R3(0)}{h}$$
Can we find what it is using equation (3)?
How do the expressions compare?
Which is bigger for $|h|<1$?
 
Oh, I'm just realizing that this is a Taylor series exercise and that R3 is the remainder term for the 3rd order expansion.

What is the general formula for the Taylor expansion of f(x) at x=-2?
Can we compare it to the given f(x)?
We should be able to read off f(-2) directly.
 
I like Serena said:
Oh, I'm just realizing that this is a Taylor series exercise and that R3 is the remainder term for the 3rd order expansion.

What is the general formula for the Taylor expansion of f(x) at x=-2?
Can we compare it to the given f(x)?
We should be able to read off f(-2) directly.

I'm not sure I'm following... I know a Taylor expansion should look something like this when we're trying to get a function similar to another function on $x = -2$:
$f(-2) + f'(-2)(x+2) + \frac{f''(-2)}{2}(x+2)^2 + o(x+2)^2$
I also get that this new function will be very close to the original function next to $x = 2$, though I don't get what part that $o(x+2)^2$ plays on it exactly...

The f(x) they give us looks very similar to that formula... It's missing the derivatives though, I can't really tell how to relate the two :/
 
Velo said:
I'm not sure I'm following... I know a Taylor expansion should look something like this when we're trying to get a function similar to another function on $x = -2$:
$f(-2) + f'(-2)(x+2) + \frac{f''(-2)}{2}(x+2)^2 + o(x+2)^2$
I also get that this new function will be very close to the original function next to $x = 2$, though I don't get what part that $o(x+2)^2$ plays on it exactly...

The f(x) they give us looks very similar to that formula... It's missing the derivatives though, I can't really tell how to relate the two :/

Indeed.
Normally we expand by evaluating f(-2), f'(-2), and so on giving constants to multiply $(x+2)^k$ with.
But this has already been done.
We can directly match them.
In other words f'(-2) is the constant that gets multiplied by (x+2).
And that's the slope we need for the tangent line.

The notation $O((x+2)^2)$ means that the remainder is less than a constant times $(x+2)^2$.
Note that $(x+2)^k$ is an increasingly small number for higher powers when x is close to -2.
 
I like Serena said:
Indeed.
Normally we expand by evaluating f(-2), f'(-2), and so on giving constants to multiply $(x+2)^k$ with.
But this has already been done.
We can directly match them.
In other words, f'(-2) is the constant that gets multiplied by (x+2).
And that's the slope we need for the tangent line.

The notation $O((x+2)^2)$ means that the remainder is less than constant times $(x+2)^2$.
Note that $(x+2)^k$ is an increasingly small number for higher powers when x is close to -2.

OOOhhhhh! I see! So,
$f'(-2) = -2 \implies y = -2x + b$,

From the original f(x) we also know that $f(-2) = 5$ so we can just replace that int he equations and get b!
$y = -2x + b \implies 5 = (-2) * (-2) + b \Leftrightarrow b = 1$

And so the final equation is:
$y = -2x + 1$

So if we wanted to find out for example f'''(-2) we'd just have to do:
$\frac{f'''(-2)}{!3} = 1 \Leftrightarrow f'''(-2) = \frac{1}{6}$

Thank you so much, can't believe I finally understood how this works! :')
 
Velo said:
OOOhhhhh! I see! So,
$f'(-2) = -2 \implies y = -2x + b$,

From the original f(x) we also know that $f(-2) = 5$ so we can just replace that int he equations and get b!
$y = -2x + b \implies 5 = (-2) * (-2) + b \Leftrightarrow b = 1$

And so the final equation is:
$y = -2x + 1$

So if we wanted to find out for example f'''(-2) we'd just have to do:
$\frac{f'''(-2)}{!3} = 1 \Leftrightarrow f'''(-2) = \frac{1}{6}$

Thank you so much, can't believe I finally understood how this works! :')

Yep. (Nod)

But let's make it $\frac{f'''(-2)}{!3} = 1 \Leftrightarrow f'''(-2) = 6$. (Wink)

One more thing, we can read the tangent equation also directly from the expansion: it's the expansion up to the first order.
That is:
$$y=f(-2)+f'(-2)(x+2)=5-2(x+2)=-2x+1$$
 
Classic :')
 

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