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Find the linearization l(x) of the function at a. f(x) = x⁴ - 2x², a = 1?

2 Answers

4 votes

Final Answer:

The linearization
\( l(x) \)of the function
\( f(x) = x^4 - 2x^2 \)at
\( a = 1 \) is given by
\( l(x) = -x + 3 \).

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the linearization of a function at a specific point, we use the formula
\( l(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x - a) \), where
\( f'(x) \) is the derivative of
\( f(x) \).First, we find the derivative of
\( f(x) \) with respect to
\( x \), which is
\( f'(x) = 4x^3 - 4x \).

Next, we evaluate
\( f \)and
\( f' \)at the given point
\( a = 1 \). \( f(1) = 1^4 - 2 \cdot 1^2 = -1 \), and
\( f'(1) = 4 \cdot 1^3 - 4 \cdot 1 = 0 \).

Now, we substitute these values into the linearization formula:


\[ l(x) = -1 + 0 \cdot (x - 1) \]

Simplifying, we get
\( l(x) = -x + 3 \).

Therefore, the linearization
\( l(x) \)of the function
\( f(x) = x^4 - 2x^2 \) at
\( a = 1 \) is
\( l(x) = -x + 3 \). This linearization is an approximation of the original function near the point
\( x = 1 \)and is useful in estimating function values close to that point.

User Darshil Jani
by
7.5k points
6 votes

Final answer:

The linearization l(x) of the function f(x) = x⁴ - 2x² at a = 1 is y = -1. This is obtained by finding the derivative, evaluating it at x = 1, and determining the value of the function at that point.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the linearization l(x) of the function f(x) = x⁴ - 2x² at a = 1, we need to determine the tangent line to the function at that point.

The equation for a tangent line in linearization is given by l(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x - a).

First, we find the derivative of the function, f'(x), which is 4x³ - 4x. Now, we evaluate this derivative at a = 1: f'(1) = 4(1)³ - 4(1) = 0.

Then we find the value of the function at that point: f(1) = 1⁴ - 2(1)² = -1.

With these values, the linearization equation becomes l(x) = -1 + 0·(x - 1) = -1.

Therefore, the linearization of the function at a = 1 is simply y = -1.

User Matt Ray
by
8.2k points