Alright, so this is the second blog and like the third or fourth week in calculus. I’m doing better than I thought I would be doing. The class is not too hard, you just really have to pay attention and do the homework. And I really like that we get a huge homework packet before each test, it really helps me a lot. Anyways, we just started chapter two which is not too hard but some of the problems can get complicated and confusing at times. Chapter two deals with two formulas: f(x+Deltax) – f(x)/deltax (Slope of secant line) and the second formula, lim as deltax approaches 0 f(x + deltax_ - f(x)\deltax (Slope of tangent line). These two formulas are the exact same expect that the slope of the tangent line has the limit as deltax approaches 0. **Also every time it asks to find the derivative, the second formula will be used. To use the formulas, the problem will give you a function and you will just have to plug it into the formula. Then it will give you a point and once you figure out the whole problem then you will find the slope with the EQUATION that is left. After finding slope you plug into the point slope formula to get the answer.
Ex: h(t)=t^2+3, (-2,7)
(x+deltax)^2+3-(t^2+3)
X^2+2xdeltax+deltax^2-t^2-3/delta x
(factor out a deltax and it will cancel)
2(-2)=-4
**The thing that I don’t understand about this chapter is what to do when a function is like x^3. One example is problem 35 on page 104.
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