SKETCHING GRAPHS OF
FUNCTIONS
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
1. Determine the domain of f.
2. Find any x and y intercepts. When finding the x intercepts you
may need to approximate the roots of the equation f(x) = 0.
3. Test for symmetry wrt the y axis and origin.
4. Check for any horizontal, vertical, or oblique asymptotes.
5. Compute f’(x) and f”(x).
6. Determine the critical numbers of f. these are the values of x in
the domain of f for which either f’(x) does not exist or f’(x) = 0.
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
7. Apply either the first-derivative test or the second-derivative
test to determine whether at a critical number there is a relative
maximum value, a relative minimum value, or neither.
8. Determine the intervals on which f is increasing by finding the
values of x for which f’(x) is positive; determine the intervals on
which f is decreasing by finding the values of x for which f’(x) is
negative. In locating the intervals on which f is monotonic, also
check the critical numbers t which f does not have a relative
extremum.
Steps in sketching graphs of functions:
9. Find the critical numbers of f’, that is, the values of x for which
f”(x) does not exist or f”(x) = 0, to obtain possible points of
inflection. At each of these values of x check to see if f”(x) changes
sign and if the graph has a tangent line there to determine if there
actually is a point of inflection.
10. Check for concavity of the graph. Find the values of x for which
f”(x) is positive to obtain points at which the graph is concave
upward; to obtain points at which the graph is concave downward
find the values of x for which f”(x) is negative.
11. Find the slope of each inflectional tangent if that is helpful.
Definition
A function f defined on an interval is increasing on that
interval iff f(x1) < f(x2) whenever x1 < x2 where x1 and x2
are any numbers in the interval.
A function f defined on an interval is decreasing on that
interval iff f(x1) > f(x2) whenever x1 < x2 where x1 and x2
are any numbers in the interval.
Theorem
Let the function f be continuous on the closed interval [a, b]
and differentiable on the open interval (a, b):
(i) if f’(x) > 0 for all x in (a, b), then f is increasing
on [a, b];
(ii) if f’(x) < 0 for all x in (a, b), then f is increasing
on [a, b].
Theorem: The First-Derivative Test for
Relative Extrema
Let the function f be continuous at all points of the open interval (a, b)
containing the number c, and suppose that f’ exists at all points of (a, b)
except possibly at c:
(i) if f’(x) > 0 for all values of x in some open interval having c as its
right endpoint, and if f’(x) < 0 for all values of x in some open interval
having c as its left endpoint, then f has a relative maximum value at c;
(ii) if f’(x) < 0 for all values of x in some open interval having c as its
right endpoint, and if f’(x) > 0 for all values of x in some open interval
having c as its left endpoint, then f has a relative minimum value at c.
Example 1
Plot the graph of the function defined by f(x) = x3 – 6x2 + 9x + 1.
Determine the relative extrema of, the values of x at which the relative
extrema occur, the intervals on which f is increasing, and the intervals
on which f is decreasing.
f(x) f’(x) Conclusion
x<1 + f is increasing
x=1 5 0 f has a relative maximum value
1<x<3 – f is decreasing
x=3 1 0 f has a relative minimum value
3<x + f is increasing
Definition
The graph of a function f is said to be concave upward at the
point (c, f(c)) if f’(c) exists and if there is an open interval I
containing c such that for all values of x c in I the point (x, f(x))
on the graph is above the tangent line to the graph at (c,
f(c)).
The graph of a function f is said to be concave downward at
the point (c, f(c)) if f’(c) exists and if there is an open interval I
containing c such that for all values of x c in I the point (x, f(x))
on the graph is below the tangent line to the graph at (c, f(c)).
Theorem
Let f be a function that is differentiable on some open interval
containing c. Then
(i) if f”(c) > 0, the graph of f is concave upward at (c, f(c));
(ii) if f”(c) < 0, the graph of f is concave downward at
(c, f(c)).
Definition
The point (c, f(c)) is a point of inflection of the graph of the
function f if the graph has a tangent line there, and if there
exists an open interval I containing c such that if x is in I, then
either
(i) f”(x) < 0 if x < c, and f”(x) > 0 if x > c; or
(ii) f”(x) > 0 if x < c, and f”(x) < 0 if x > c.
Theorem
Suppose the function f is differentiable on some
open interval containing c, and (c, f(c)) is appoint
of inflection of the graph of f, then if f”(c) exists,
f”(c) = 0.
Example
Using the function f(x) = x3 – 6x2 + 9x + 1 in Example 1, find the point of
inflection of the graph of f and determine where the graph is concave
upward and concave downward.
f(x) f’(x) f”(x) Conclusion
x<2 – Graph of f is concave downward
x=2 3 –3 0 Graph of f has a point of inflection
2<x + Graph of f is concave upward
