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  1. AP Calculus
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What is the formula for the average rate of change of a function f(x) over the interval [a, b]?

f(b)−f(a)b−a\frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}b−af(b)−f(a)​

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What is the formula for the average rate of change of a function f(x) over the interval [a, b]?

f(b)−f(a)b−a\frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}b−af(b)−f(a)​

What is the condition stated by the Mean Value Theorem?

f′(c)=f(b)−f(a)b−af'(c) = \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}f′(c)=b−af(b)−f(a)​ for some c∈(a,b)c \in (a, b)c∈(a,b)

How do you find critical points?

Solve f′(x)=0f'(x) = 0f′(x)=0 or find where f′(x)f'(x)f′(x) is undefined.

How do you determine concavity using the second derivative?

f′′(x)>0f''(x) > 0f′′(x)>0 implies concave up; f′′(x)<0f''(x) < 0f′′(x)<0 implies concave down.

How do you find inflection points?

Solve f′′(x)=0f''(x) = 0f′′(x)=0 or find where f′′(x)f''(x)f′′(x) is undefined, and verify concavity changes.

What does f'(x) > 0 imply?

f(x) is increasing.

What does f'(x) < 0 imply?

f(x) is decreasing.

What does f''(x) = 0 imply?

Possible inflection point.

What does the second derivative test tell us about local extrema?

If f′(c)=0f'(c) = 0f′(c)=0 and f′′(c)>0f''(c) > 0f′′(c)>0, then f(c)f(c)f(c) is a local minimum. If f′(c)=0f'(c) = 0f′(c)=0 and f′′(c)<0f''(c) < 0f′′(c)<0, then f(c)f(c)f(c) is a local maximum.

What is the general approach to solving optimization problems?

  1. Define the objective function. 2. Identify constraints. 3. Find critical points. 4. Test for extrema.

What does the x-intercept of f'(x) tell you about f(x)?

It indicates a critical point of f(x), where f(x) may have a local max or min.

What does the sign of f'(x) tell you about the graph of f(x)?

Positive f'(x) means f(x) is increasing; negative f'(x) means f(x) is decreasing.

What does the sign of f''(x) tell you about the graph of f(x)?

Positive f''(x) means f(x) is concave up; negative f''(x) means f(x) is concave down.

How can you identify inflection points from the graph of f''(x)?

Inflection points occur where f''(x) changes sign (crosses the x-axis).

If f'(x) is always positive, what does that imply about f(x)?

f(x) is always increasing.

If f''(x) is always negative, what does that imply about f(x)?

f(x) is always concave down.

What does a horizontal tangent line on the graph of f(x) indicate?

It indicates that f'(x) = 0 at that point, a critical point.

How can you identify local extrema on the graph of f(x)?

Look for points where the graph changes direction (from increasing to decreasing or vice versa).

What does the area under the curve of f'(x) represent?

The net change in f(x) over the given interval.

How can you determine where f(x) has a local maximum from the graph of f'(x)?

Look for where f'(x) changes from positive to negative.

What does the Mean Value Theorem guarantee?

If f(x) is continuous on [a, b] and differentiable on (a, b), then there exists a c in (a, b) such that f′(c)=f(b)−f(a)b−af'(c) = \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}f′(c)=b−af(b)−f(a)​.

What does the Extreme Value Theorem guarantee?

If f(x) is continuous on [a, b], then f(x) attains both a maximum and a minimum value on that interval.

What is the application of the Mean Value Theorem?

It is used to relate the average rate of change of a function over an interval to its instantaneous rate of change at some point within the interval.

What is the application of the Extreme Value Theorem?

It guarantees the existence of absolute maximum and minimum values for continuous functions on closed intervals, which is crucial for optimization problems.

What are the conditions for the Mean Value Theorem to apply?

Function must be continuous on the closed interval [a, b] and differentiable on the open interval (a, b).

What are the conditions for the Extreme Value Theorem to apply?

Function must be continuous on the closed interval [a, b].

How does the Mean Value Theorem relate to Rolle's Theorem?

Rolle's Theorem is a special case of the Mean Value Theorem where f(a) = f(b).

How is the Extreme Value Theorem used in optimization?

It ensures that a continuous function on a closed interval has a maximum and minimum value, allowing us to find the optimal solution.

What does the Mean Value Theorem tell us about the relationship between a function and its derivative?

It states that at some point in an interval, the derivative of the function is equal to the average rate of change over that interval.

What does the Extreme Value Theorem guarantee about the existence of extrema?

It guarantees that a continuous function on a closed interval will have both an absolute maximum and an absolute minimum within that interval.