Derivatives of Trigonometric Equations

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the derivatives of trigonometric equations and the equations of tangent lines at specific points. Participants are addressing two main problems: one involving the function y = 1/(sin x + cos x) and another involving y = √(x² + 5).

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the process of taking derivatives of trigonometric functions and applying them to find tangent lines. There are attempts to clarify the steps involved in differentiation, particularly regarding the use of the quotient rule and the handling of constants. Some participants express uncertainty about specific steps and seek clarification on the reasoning behind certain derivatives.

Discussion Status

There is active engagement with participants providing feedback on each other's calculations. Some have identified mistakes in their own work and are re-evaluating their approaches. Clarifications about the derivative of constants and the application of the quotient rule have been discussed, indicating a productive exchange of ideas.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the amount of direct assistance they can receive. There is an emphasis on understanding the differentiation process rather than simply obtaining the correct answers.

loadsy
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Alright, moving on to the topic of taking the derivative of a trigonometric equations, I have been given the problem to find the equation of the tangent line to the curve at the given point for:

y = 1/sinx+cosx at (0,1)

Now we know that the equation is y-1=m(x-0), so I've tried solving for the derivative and got as far as this:
y' = (sinx +cosx)d/dx(1) - 1 d/dx (sinx+cosx)
-------------------------------------
(sinx+cosx)^2

= (sinx + cosx)X1 - (1 X (cosx + -sinx) )
-------------------------------
(sinx + cosx)^2


= 2sinx / (sinx + cosx)^2 = 2 cosx / (sinx+cosx)^2

And then subbing in x=0 and getting 1/1 = 1 and then the equation would be y=x+1, however, I'm not sure if I did this right, or if there is some other way to simplify it that I may have misinterpreted.

Also, while we are at it, I've just done another question that asks to "find the tangent line to the curve of:"

y = squareroot(X^2+5) at (2,3)

I went ahead and solved the derivative and found it to be x/(squareroot(X^2+5)) and subbing in the x=2 got 2/7 as my answer and then just put it into the equation to get y = 2/7X + 17/7, is this correct?

Thank you anyone, I apologize for asking two questions in one topic haha.
 
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[tex]y = \frac{1}{\sin x + \cos x}[/tex].

[tex]y' = -\frac{1(\cos x - \sin x)}{(\sin x + \cos x)^{2}}[/tex]. It should be [tex]y = -x +1[/tex][tex]y' = \frac{x}{\sqrt{x^{2}+5}}[/tex]. You should get [tex]m = \frac{2}{3}[/tex] not [tex]\frac{2}{7}[/tex].
 
Last edited:
loadsy said:
Alright, moving on to the topic of taking the derivative of a trigonometric equations, I have been given the problem to find the equation of the tangent line to the curve at the given point for:

y = 1/sinx+cosx at (0,1)

Now we know that the equation is y-1=m(x-0), so I've tried solving for the derivative and got as far as this:
y' = (sinx +cosx)d/dx(1) - 1 d/dx (sinx+cosx)
-------------------------------------
(sinx+cosx)^2

= (sinx + cosx)X1 - (1 X (cosx + -sinx) )
-------------------------------
(sinx + cosx)^2


= 2sinx / (sinx + cosx)^2 = 2 cosx / (sinx+cosx)^2

And then subbing in x=0 and getting 1/1 = 1 and then the equation would be y=x+1, however, I'm not sure if I did this right, or if there is some other way to simplify it that I may have misinterpreted.

Also, while we are at it, I've just done another question that asks to "find the tangent line to the curve of:"

y = squareroot(X^2+5) at (2,3)

I went ahead and solved the derivative and found it to be x/(squareroot(X^2+5)) and subbing in the x=2 got 2/7 as my answer and then just put it into the equation to get y = 2/7X + 17/7, is this correct?

Thank you anyone, I apologize for asking two questions in one topic haha.

First, yout function was probably y(x) = 1 / (sinx + cosx). You should watch out for the brackets. Second, what is the derivatice of a constant (in your case 1)?

Regarding the second function, your answer seems to be ok.
 
For the second function, the square root of 9 is 3, not 7
 
Right, the equation of the tangent line should be y = 2/3 x + 5/3.
 
Yeah I realized that mistake after courtrigrad posted it. I ended up not squarerooting the 5 in X^2+5. So the answer would be 2/3 and it ends up being y= 2/3X + 5/3. I get that question, however, can you explain to me in the 1st problem, why it is -1(cosx-sinx)/(sinx+cosx)^2 because I'm currently going back and reworking that problem out and I'm not sure how you get the -1 part of it, unless I did a step in there that isn't jiving with everything else.
 
loadsy said:
Yeah I realized that mistake after courtrigrad posted it. I ended up not squarerooting the 5 in X^2+5. So the answer would be 2/3 and it ends up being y= 2/3X + 5/3. I get that question, however, can you explain to me in the 1st problem, why it is -1(cosx-sinx)/(sinx+cosx)^2 because I'm currently going back and reworking that problem out and I'm not sure how you get the -1 part of it, unless I did a step in there that isn't jiving with everything else.

Your function is [tex]f(x) = \frac{1}{\sin x + \cos x} = \frac{g(x)}{h(x)}[/tex]. So, [tex]f'(x) = \frac{g'(x) h(x) - g(x)h'(x)}{h(x)^2}[/tex]. Plug in and solve.
 
[tex]y = \frac{1}{\sin x + \cos x}[/tex]

[tex]f(x) = 1[/tex]
[tex]g(x) = \sin x + \cos x[/tex].

[tex]f'(x) = 0[/tex]
[tex]g'(x) = \cos x - \sin x[/tex].

[tex]\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{g(x)f'(x)-f(x)g'(x)}{g(x)^{2}}[/tex]
[tex]\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{(\sin x + \cos x)(0)-1(\cos x-\sin x)}{(\sin x + \cos x)^{2}}[/tex]
 
Oh my goodness, alright I'm following you now, the problem lied within the fact that f'(x) was equal to 0, so I still had the (sinx + cosx) still in the equation. Alright, thanks for your time all of you. I think I'm ready to go back and do some more practice problems to help me grasp this concept fully. :D
 

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