sign up I login
 advanced
refer a friend - earn nickels!!

Ask & Discuss Questions with Community & Experts

Moderation Team
 90 chars left    advanced
Ask iit jee aieee pet cbse icse state board experts Expert Question: What is the logic behind the higher order derivative test?Why do we keep differentiating?
Forum Index -> Differential Calculus like the article? email it to a friend.  
Author Message
fizz (0)

New kid on the Block

Olaaa!! Perrrfect answer. 0  [0 rates]

fizz's Avatar

total posts: 14    
offline Offline
in the higher order test we keep differentiating a function till we find the nth derivative to be greater than or less that zero thereby identifying it as a maximum or minimum-what is the whole idea behind it?
    
edison (5140)

Forum Expert Blazing goIITian

Olaaa!! Perrrfect answer. 904  [1214 rates]

edison's Avatar

total posts: 2583    
offline Offline

Maxima and Minima from Calculus


One of the great powers of calculus is in the determination of the maximum or minimum value of a function. Take f(x) to be a function of x. Then the value of x for which the derivative of f(x) with respect to x is equal to zero corresponds to a maximum, a minimum or an inflexion point of the function f(x).


For example, the height of a projectile that is fired straight up is given by the motion equation:


Taking y0 = 0, a graph of the height y(t) is shown below.



The derivative of a function can be geometrically interpreted as the slope of the curve of the mathematical function y(t) plotted as a function of t. The derivative is positive when a function is increasing toward a maximum, zero (horizontal) at the maximum, and negative just after the maximum. The second derivative is the rate of change of the derivative, and it is negative for the process described above since the first derivative (slope) is always getting smaller. The second derivative is always negative for a "hump" in the function, corresponding to a maximum



The Scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, & he delights in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, life would not be worth living. Ofcourse I do not here speak of that beauty that strikes the senses, the beauty of qualities & appearances; not that I undervalue such beauty, far from it, but it has nothing to do with science; I mean that profounder beauty which comes from the harmoniuos order of the parts, & which a pure intelligence can grasp.
 this reply: 0 points  (with Olaaa!! Perrrfect answer.   in 0 votes )   [?]
 
You have to be logged on to rate
  
fizz (0)

New kid on the Block

Olaaa!! Perrrfect answer. 0  [0 rates]

fizz's Avatar

total posts: 14    
offline Offline

this answer explains the second derivative test excellently,but is similar logic applied for the higher orders of differentiation , which gives us the higher order derviative test?

 this reply: 0 points  (with Olaaa!! Perrrfect answer.   in 0 votes )   [?]
 
You have to be logged on to rate
  
 
Forum Index -> Differential Calculus
Go to:   

 Aakash Institute IIT/ AIEEE/ Medical Crash Course
Name  
E-mail  
Phone  
Mobile  
** Hurry. Exclusive goIIT Offer. Limited Seats Only!
available in: New Delhi, Amritsar, Bhatinda, Bokaro, Chandigarj, Dehradun, Guwhati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Karnal, Kolkata, Kota, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Noida, Patiala, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Varanasi
Top Offers for goIITians
Correspondence Courses
Brilliant Tutorials
Narayana Institute
Aakash Institute
Classroom/Crash Courses
Aakash-IITJEE : AIEEE
Aakash-IITJEE : DCE
Aakash-IITJEE : MHTCET
Aakash Institute : AIPMT
Online Test Series
Brilliant Tutorials
Narayana Institute
Aakash Institute
Mahesh Tutorials
AMITY      Sri Chaitanya