Calculus I Notes, Section 2-9

http://www.blc.edu/fac/rbuelow/calc/nt2-9.html

Notes, Lesson 2.9

Linear Approximations

We know how to find the slope of the tangent line to a curve, and we also know how to express a linear function in equation form. Putting these two together, we can find linear approximations of functions. This can be very useful in physics for the purpose of simplifying a calculation or a theory. There are times when it is easier to find the derivative of a function that to find the value of a function. This fact, along with our knowledge of linear functions can prove to be a valuable tool in finding reliable approximations. We look at an example problem to demonstrate this technique:

Find a linear approximation for

Sample problem. First we need to recognize the general function that we are dealing with. This is easy in this case. We are working with the cube root function. Next, we need to find the derivative of the cube root function, so that we can determine the slope of the tangent line at x = 8.1 Here we substitute the actual function into the expression This step relies on your ability to factor the difference of two cubes. Similar to multiplying by a conjugate to obtain the difference of two squares, here we multiply by the perfect quantity which will cause the product to result in the difference of two cubes. The difference of two cubes allows all cube roots to be gone in the numerator.

Simplify the numerator.

Cancel the h's.

Simplify and take the limit. When we substitute 8 for x in our newly found derivative formula (previous step) we find this value for our slope. Using the slope-intercept form of a line, we substitute in our newly found approximate slope.

Slope of tangent line at x = 8 is

At the point (8,2) we find that b =

Now we have the slope of the tangent line to the cube root function at the point (8,2). This is our linear approximation for the cube root of 8.1. Checking our answer on a calculator shows us that our approximation is quite good.

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Calculus I Notes, Section 2-9

http://www.blc.edu/fac/rbuelow/calc/nt2-9.html

Here is a view of the cube root function along with the linear approximation over the interval from (1,15).

The graph of both the cube root function (red) and the linear approximation (green) show that if close enough {this time the interval is (7,9)}, a line can be an excellent approximation tool.

It should be noted that this approximation technique is only good "near" to the value for x which you use to calculate the slope of the tangent line (calculate the derivative). The basic idea here is that a straight line is a decent approximation to any curve for "small" enough values of x. That is, if you "zoom" in on any graph, you will see the graph get more and more linear in appearance. (See the last line of the above chart)

Check Concepts

#1: Linear approximations can be especially useful in ___________. #2: True or False: When you calculate a value of a function using a linear approximation, the proximity of point of the function that you use and the point you are trying to estimate is extremely important. #3: Another name for a linear approximation is linearization. Yet another is _________________.

#4: In this expression, what type of notation is used?:

#5 True or False: Any curve, if examined with a small enough interval tends toward a linear function.

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