LECTURE ON CURVE SKETCHING AND ANALYSIS

1. INTRODUCTION TO CURVE SKETCHING AND ANALYSIS

Curve sketching is a powerful tool in calculus that involves using derivatives to analyze and understand the behavior of a function’s
graph. By examining the first and second derivatives, we can identify important features of the curve such as:

• Critical points (where the function has a potential maximum, minimum, or inflection point),

• Local maxima and minima (highs and lows of the function),

• Inflection points (where the curve changes concavity),

• Concavity and slope of the function.

This lecture will cover how to use derivatives to analyze the shape of a graph, identify critical points, and sketch the curve based on
this information.

2. USING THE FIRST AND SECOND DERIVATIVES TO ANALYZE THE SHAPE OF A GRAPH

The first and second derivatives provide essential insights into how a function behaves. These derivatives allow us to determine
where the function increases or decreases, and where it bends upward or downward.

2.1. The First Derivative: Understanding Slope and Critical Points

The first derivative 𝒇′(𝒙) of a function tells us about the slope of the function at any given point:

• If 𝒇′(𝒙) > 𝟎, the function is increasing at 𝒙.

• If 𝒇′ (𝒙) < 𝟎, the function is decreasing at 𝒙.

• If f′(x)=0f'(x) = 0f′(x)=0, the function may have a critical point (a possible maximum, minimum, or inflection point).

Example: Consider the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟗𝒙 + 𝟏.

1. First derivative: 𝒇′ (𝒙) = 𝟑𝒙𝟐 − 𝟏𝟐𝒙 + 𝟗.

2. Critical points: Set 𝒇′(𝒙) = 𝟎 and solve for 𝒙:

𝟑𝒙𝟐 − 𝟏𝟐𝒙 + 𝟗 = 𝟎 ⇒ (𝒙 − 𝟏)(𝒙 − 𝟑) = 𝟎

So, the critical points are 𝒙 = 𝟏 and 𝒙 = 𝟑.

2.2. The Second Derivative: Understanding Concavity and Inflection Points

The second derivative 𝒇′′ (𝒙) tells us about the concavity of the function:

• If 𝒇′′ (𝒙) > 𝟎, the curve is concave up (shaped like a cup, or a "U").

• If 𝒇′′ (𝒙) < 𝟎, the curve is concave down (shaped like a hill, or an "n").

• If 𝒇′′ (𝒙) = 𝟎, this may indicate a point of inflection, where the curve changes concavity.
Example: Continuing with 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟗𝒙 + 𝟏,

1. Second derivative: 𝒇′′ (𝒙) = 𝟔𝒙 − 𝟏𝟐.

2. Points of inflection: Set 𝒇′′ (𝒙) = 𝟎 and solve for 𝒙:

− 𝟏𝟐 = 𝟎 ⇒ 𝒙 = 𝟐

So, there is a point of inflection at 𝒙 = 𝟐, where the curve changes concavity.

3. IDENTIFYING CRITICAL POINTS, LOCAL MAXIMA AND MINIMA, AND INFLECTION POINTS

3.1. Critical Points

Critical points occur where the first derivative is zero or undefined. At these points, the function may have a local maximum, local
minimum, or an inflection point.

To classify critical points:

• Use the First Derivative Test to see if the function increases or decreases before and after the critical point.

• Use the Second Derivative Test to determine concavity at the critical point:

o If 𝒇′′(𝒙) > 𝟎, the function is concave up, indicating a local minimum.

o If 𝒇′′(𝒙) < 𝟎, the function is concave down, indicating a local maximum.

3.2. Local Maxima and Minima

A local maximum is a point where the function reaches a high point compared to the nearby values. A local minimum is a low point
compared to nearby values.

Example: Using 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟗𝒙 + 𝟏,

1. Critical points: 𝒙 = 𝟏 and 𝒙 = 𝟑 are critical points.

2. To classify these points, apply the Second Derivative Test:

o For 𝒙 = 𝟏, 𝒇′′ (𝟏) = 𝟔(𝟏) − 𝟏𝟐 = −𝟔 (concave down), so 𝒙 = 𝟏 is a local maximum.

o For 𝒙 = 𝟑, 𝒇′′ (𝟑) = 𝟔(𝟑) − 𝟏𝟐 = 𝟔(concave up), so 𝒙 = 𝟑 is a local minimum.

Thus, 𝒙 = 𝟏 is a local maximum, and 𝒙 = 𝟑 is a local minimum.

3.3. Inflection Points

An inflection point is where the curve changes concavity. At an inflection point, the second derivative 𝒇′′(𝒙) is zero, and the sign of
𝒇′′(𝒙) changes as 𝒙 passes through the point.

Example: In our previous example, the second derivative 𝒇′′ (𝒙) = 𝟔𝒙 − 𝟏𝟐 changes sign at 𝒙 = 𝟐, indicating an inflection point at
𝒙 = 𝟐.

4. SKETCHING CURVES BASED ON INFORMATION FROM DERIVATIVES

Now that we know how to find critical points, local maxima and minima, and inflection points, we can sketch the graph of a function
by following these steps:

4.1. Steps to Sketch a Curve

1. Find the critical points: Set 𝒇′(𝒙) = 𝟎 to find where the function has potential maxima, minima, or inflection points.

2. Determine intervals of increase or decrease: Use the first derivative 𝒇′(𝒙) to determine where the function is increasing or
decreasing.

3. Find concavity and inflection points: Use the second derivative 𝒇′′(𝒙) to determine the concavity of the function and locate
points of inflection.

4. Classify the critical points: Determine whether the critical points are local maxima, minima, or neither using the first or
second derivative tests.

5. Plot important points: Plot the critical points, inflection points, and any other important features (such as intercepts).

6. Sketch the curve: Use the information from the first and second derivatives to draw the curve, showing where it increases,
decreases, and changes concavity.

4.2. Example: Sketching the Curve of a Polynomial

Let’s sketch the graph of 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟗𝒙 + 𝟏.

1. First derivative: 𝒇′ (𝒙) = 𝟑𝒙𝟐 − 𝟏𝟐𝒙 + 𝟗.

o Set 𝒇′(𝒙) = 𝟎 to find critical points: 𝒙 = 𝟏 and 𝒙 = 𝟑.

o Use the first derivative to find where the function increases or decreases:

▪ For 𝒙 < 𝟏, 𝒇′ (𝒙) > 𝟎 (increasing).

▪ For 𝟏 < 𝒙 < 𝟑, 𝒇′(𝒙) < 𝟎 (decreasing).

▪ For 𝒙 > 𝟑, 𝒇′(𝒙) > 𝟎 (increasing).

2. Second derivative: 𝒇′′ (𝒙) = 𝟔𝒙 − 𝟏𝟐.

o Set 𝒇′′(𝒙) = 𝟎 to find points of inflection: 𝒙 = 𝟐.

o Check the concavity:

▪ For 𝒙 < 𝟐, 𝒇′′(𝒙) < 𝟎 (concave down).

▪ For 𝒙 > 𝟐, 𝒇′′ (𝒙) > 𝟎 (concave up).

3. Classify the critical points:

o At 𝒙 = 𝟏, the second derivative is negative, so 𝒙 = 𝟏 is a local maximum.

o At 𝒙 = 𝟑, the second derivative is positive, so 𝒙 = 𝟑 is a local minimum.

4. Inflection point: The curve changes concavity at 𝒙 = 𝟐, so there is an inflection point at 𝒙 = 𝟐.

5. Intercepts:

o 𝒇(𝟎) = 𝟏, so, the y-intercept is (𝟎, 𝟏).

 6. Sketch the curve:

o The function starts increasing from the left, reaches a local maximum at 𝒙 = 𝟏, decreases until 𝒙 = 𝟑 (a local
minimum), then increases again.

o The curve changes concavity at 𝒙 = 𝟐, transitioning from concave down to concave up.

5. VISUALIZING THE CURVE

Now, let's visualize the general shape of the curve 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟗𝒙 + 𝟏 based on our analysis:

• Critical points: Local maximum at 𝒙 = 𝟏, local minimum at 𝒙 = 𝟑.

• Inflection point: Change in concavity at 𝒙 = 𝟐.

• Intercepts: The curve crosses the y-axis at (𝟎, 𝟏).

• Behavior: The curve starts by increasing, then reaches a local maximum, decreases to a local minimum, and finally increases
again with a change in concavity along the way.

6. SUMMARY

Curve sketching is a valuable technique for understanding the behavior of functions using their derivatives. By analyzing the first
derivative for slope and critical points, and the second derivative for concavity and inflection points, we can accurately predict the
shape of a curve and important features such as local maxima, minima, and turning points.

Key Steps for Curve Sketching:

1. Use the first derivative to find critical points and determine where the function increases or decreases.

2. Use the second derivative to find concavity and inflection points.

3. Combine this information to classify critical points and sketch the curve.

SUGGESTED PRACTICE PROBLEMS

1. Find Critical Points:

For the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟒 − 𝟒𝒙𝟑 + 𝟔𝒙𝟐 , find the critical points and determine whether they are local maxima, minima, or
neither.

2. Sketch the Curve:

Sketch the graph of the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝟐𝒙𝟑 − 𝟗𝒙𝟐 + 𝟏𝟐𝒙 − 𝟑. Identify critical points, points of inflection, and intervals of
increase and decrease.

3. Analyze Concavity:
For the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝐥 𝐧(𝒙𝟐 + 𝟏), determine where the function is concave up or concave down and identify any points
of inflection.

4. Maxima and Minima:

𝟐
Find the local maxima and minima of the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒆−𝒙 .

5. Inflection Points:
Determine the inflection points of the function 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙𝟒 − 𝟒𝒙𝟐 + 𝟑.