Find points on a curve when slope is 0

In summary, to find the points on the curve when the tangent line is horizontal, you need to first find the derivative and set it equal to 0 to find the values of y. Then, plug those values into the original curve to find the corresponding x values.
  • #1
MrJamesta
8
0
Homework Statement
Find the points on the curve xy^2+x^2y=16 when the tangent line is horizontal

The attempt at a solution
I found the derivative of the curve
-(y(2x+y))/(x(x+2y))
then I found what values of y make the derivative equal 0
y=0,-2x
Then I went to plug into the original curve to find x and that is where I got lost. I do not know how to isolate x in this case.
 
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  • #2
MrJamesta said:
Homework Statement
Find the points on the curve xy^2+x^2y=16 when the tangent line is horizontal

The attempt at a solution
I found the derivative of the curve
-(y(2x+y))/(x(x+2y))
then I found what values of y make the derivative equal 0
y=0,-2x
Then I went to plug into the original curve to find x and that is where I got lost. I do not know how to isolate x in this case.

The first thing you should notice is that ##y=0## doesn't give a point on the graph. But what happens if you put ##y=-2x## into the original equation?
 
  • #3
Thanks! Got it now.
 

What does it mean to find points on a curve when the slope is 0?

When the slope of a curve is 0, it means that the curve is not changing at that particular point. In other words, the tangent line to the curve at that point is horizontal.

Why is it important to find points on a curve when the slope is 0?

Identifying points on a curve where the slope is 0 can help us understand the behavior of the curve. These points are known as stationary points and can be used to determine the maximum or minimum values of a function, which can be useful in optimization problems.

How do you find points on a curve when the slope is 0?

To find points on a curve when the slope is 0, we need to find the x-values where the derivative of the curve is equal to 0. This can be done by setting the derivative of the curve equal to 0 and solving for x.

Can there be multiple points on a curve where the slope is 0?

Yes, there can be multiple points on a curve where the slope is 0. These points can be found by setting the derivative of the curve equal to 0 and solving for all possible values of x.

What if the curve is not continuous? Can we still find points where the slope is 0?

Yes, we can still find points on a curve where the slope is 0 even if the curve is not continuous. However, the method for finding these points may differ depending on the type of discontinuity present in the curve.

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